More than 900 Afghan refugees in Balochistan approached United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to seek asylum abroad during the year 2013, an official said on Thursday.
Worsening law and order situation has forced the Afghan refugees living in Balochistan for last more than three decades to seek asylum abroad, Najeebullah Tareen, a spokesman of UNHCR said.
He said a total of 288 individuals were interviewed in Quetta for resettlement abroad. The UNHCR’s sub office in Quetta established a new facility for the resettlement (abroad) of Afghan refugees whose lives are at peril both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Australia being a lead country in resettlement of vulnerable Afghan refugees so far,” Tareen said.
Amid fear of targeted killings and bomb explosions, most of members of the ethnic Shia Hazara community have been striving to get resettled in Australia and other countries.
The newly established facility is meant for carrying out elaborate scrutiny of cases referred to it for resettlement before their submission to the asylum offering states, Tareen explained. He said the acceptance of request would be subject of RSD (Refugees Status Determination) a thorough exercise to ascertain the eligibility of applicants.
The National Database and Registration Authority yesterday launched a countywide project for renewal of PoR cards to 1.6 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.
