LAHORE (UCAN): The diocesan units of Caritas Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan are on alert to help refugees fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.
Despite claims on August 18 by Pakistan’s interior minister, Sheikh Rashid, that there were no refugees entering the country and that no preparations had been made for Afghans seeking refuge, media reports say thousands have entered via the Chaman border crossing, one of the most active trade and travel routes between the countries.
Amjad Gulzar, executive director of Caritas Pakistan, said more than 200 families had already arrived in urban areas of Quetta in Balochistan province.
“Caritas Pakistan Quetta and Caritas Pakistan Islamabad-Rawalpindi have positioned themselves so that we can respond to the emerging humanitarian crisis,” he said.
“Pashto-speaking staff may be engaged in both field offices. Refugee crises are often protracted and require strategies that reflect both short-term needs—water, first aid, immunisation—and mid-to-long term challenges such as mental health, trauma, chronic diseases and education. Staff have been alerted to avoid any controversial social media posts about the Taliban.”
Caritas Pakistan has met with the Afghan Refugees Commissioner Office in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to pledge its cooperation.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on August 17, the Aurat [women] March urged Pakistan to open its borders, saying, “Pakistan has a moral obligation to open its borders to our neighbours in need and to ensure the rights of refugees as per its international law obligations. We must agitate to reform our policies towards existing and new refugees.”
Pakistan is not a party to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, nor the 1967 Protocol. However, Caritas Pakistan worked with Afghan refugees in the 1970s, 1990s and in 2001 following the US invasion.
According to the UNHCR, 1.4 million Afghan refugees still live in Pakistan, with over 300,000 in the southern port of Karachi. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the north has 43 refugee camps for Afghans.
