RAHA Completed 534 Projects In KPK, Balochistan

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -25th Augst,2016) : Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) has completed 534 different projects so far with the cost of Rs.5530 million in Khyber Pukhtunkhaw and Balochistan. The RAHA was launched in 2009, it was a joint project of Ministry of SAFRON and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this was stated by Secratry SAFRON while briefing the meeting of National Assembly Standing Committee on States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON).

Muhammad Jamal ud Din Chaired the meeting here on Thursday at Ministry of SAFRON, including Muhammad Nazir Khan, Ghalib Khan, Begum Tahira Bukhari, Iffat Liaqat, Suriya Jatoi, Qaiser Jamal, Muhammad Kamal, Bilal Rehman, Bismillah Khan, Sahizzada Tariq Ullah, Sheikh Fayyaz-ud-Din, Mian Shahid Hussain Bhatti, all high commissioner for refugees and officials of the Ministry of SAFRON were attended the meeting. More than 10.6 million people have benefited from Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) projects, of which, overall around 11 percent Afghan refugees while 89 percent have been Pakistani citizens in refugee hosting areas.

Representative of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) informed the body that January 2016 to August 25 around 60,000 Afghans refugees were voluntarily repatriated. To a question he said that already Federal government has announced that November 15, 2016 is last date for unregistered Afghans refugees to repatriate to their homeland, while register Afghans refugee till December 31, 2016. The NA body has recommended that Pakistani government facilitate the Afghan nationals in visa relaxation specially in the field of health, education and business for the strong relationship with the neighbor countries. Chairman Committee Jamal ud Din stressed on the government that it is the responsibility of SAFRON and its stakeholder that arrange the transport for those Pakistanis who are living in Afghanistan as a refugee. Secretary SAFRON informed the committee that government is already providing the transport facility to the Pakistani people who wanted to come in the country.