Support to Afghan refugees to continue: US Congresswoman

HARIPUR: Congresswoman Ilhan Omar on Saturday said that the people of the United States of America would continue to provide every possible support for the wellbeing of the Afghan nationals living as refugees in Pakistan.

“I can understand the feelings of Afghan refugees and know that whatever the facilities they are provided with by the hosts, their ultimate priority would be to return to their homeland,” she told a select gathering of Afghan elders, district administration, officials of Afghan Commissionerate and teachers here.

Addressing the participants of a brief ceremony, she said that upon her return to America, she would discuss and explore more avenues for the improvement of services and uplift of the Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

She appreciated the efforts of the government of Pakistan, Afghan Commissionerate, district administration and different aid agencies engaged in providing health and education services to Afghan refugees for the last over four decades.

She visited the GTVC where the administration briefed her on different vocational training programmes being offered to Afghan refugees along with children of hosting communities of Haripur. The US Congresswoman also visited the primary school for Afghan girls in the Panian refugees camp where the young students welcomed the chief guest and presented different tablaeus in their native languages. She stayed with the Afghan school girls for some time and interacted with them about their studies. The Afghan elders met the US lawmaker and shared how they faced problems of health, education, potable water when they arrived first and lauded the initiatives of Pakistani government and different NGOs who extended support aiming to bring improvement in their living standard.

Commissioner Afghan Refugees Muhammad Abbas Khan briefed the US congresswoman about the ongoing and future steps that the government Pakistan has taken for the wellbeing of Afghan refugees.

Rao Hashim Azeem, Assistant Commissioner Haripur, briefed the US lawmaker on behalf of Haripur district administration and shared the facilities offered to the Afghan refugees living in Haripur.