Success of refugees’ repatriation policy crucial to achieve national objectives

Islamabad:Speakers and participants of a roundtable conference agreed that the government's policy to repatriate illegal Afghan refugees has to succeed to achieve the desired goals.

Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) organized a roundtable conference titled "Evaluating the impact of government's policy on repatriation of unauthorized refugees." The conference was addressed by Brigadier Ishaq Khattak (R), Director General of Pak Afghan Youth Forum Salman Javed and Managing Director of PICSS Abdullah Khan. The event was attended by academics, defense analysts, media persons, and students.

The session was chaired by Chairman PICSS Major General Saad Khattak (R) who said that in whatever circumstances the policy was adopted, we should back it up and it must succeed once it is adopted. He said that there is almost a consensus that Afghan refugees have to go back to their homeland, the only difference is about the time selected for the adoption of this policy. However, since it is adopted now in the middle of the implementation the focus should be on the success of the policy.

Brigadier Ishaq Khattak said that Pakistan and Afghanistan almost had shaky relations. He said that the goal to improve the security situation in the country through repatriating Afghan refugees is hard to achieve.