National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has opened registration service centers in Punjab to register Afghan refugees that would be a good omen for them.
More centers would be open on Wednesday, 32 centers are working before for the same prospective, one in Islamabad, 11 in KPK (Kyber Pakhtun Khaw), one in Karachi and 16 in Balouchistan.
Mudassir Javed, vice chairman of SHARP (Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid) said, ‘There are about 1.6 million unregistered Afghan refugees in Pakistan.’
UNHCR stated that nearly 1.3 million Afghan refugees were currently present in Pakistan, mostly in Punjab. In the capital city of Punjab around 8,000 to 10,000 were registered.
Survey reports told that the unregistered number of refugees were more than that of registered ones.
According to a Nadra official, “The ‘Afghan Citizen Card’ process will be operating till the next six months.
“The refugees will be provided with cards for temporary residence,” he said. “The last registration closed down in 2011, however modifications continued even after that.”
For that purpose Nadra had given the call for new registrations in Punjab.
It was reported to state government that so many refugees were sharing basic brick compound along with cattle having poor hygiene condition. Some of them then work in the garbage business, and suffered severe health diseases.
A Pushto interpreter told, “There is a high level of infant and maternal mortality rate because these women cannot communicate their medical needs in hospitals or other places. Many times babies are born at home in unhygienic conditions.If there are complications, a lack of refugee cards may result in delayed operations, and of course there is the language issue. They are so marginalised that their issues are derived from that. At home for instance, they do not have clean water supply, or any access to a proper toilet.’
Government of Punjab planned to do initiatives in that regard by giving them access to health services, the education for his children, open their bank accounts.
Reporter: Syeda Faiza Bukhari
