Australian government has offered asylum to 2500 Hazara families from Quetta to protect them from the sectarian violence while urging the United Nations agencies concerned for refugees to facilitate the immigration process.
Assistant Secretary Department of Immigration and Citizenship Australia held several meetings with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in this regard.
According to reports, Australian government is willing to accommodate 2500 families or 7,000 individuals from Quetta in Australian cities.
A UNHCR told media that the Australian government has asked their assistance in facilitating Shiite community in the wake of sectarian attacks on them.
Media sources reported that the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (Safron) had been informed about Australia’s offer.
Hazara community is the frequent target of sectarian violence in the region for many years but the frequency and scale of attacks have been intensified recently by terrorist outfits.
On Saturday, more than 100 members of the Shia Hazara community were killed in a bomb attack in Quetta. The dead included 33 registered Afghan refugees, triggering condemnation from the UNHCR that asked authorities to protect the lives of refugees in this hour of sadness.