Urban refugee support unit opens in Peshawar

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): An urban refugee support unit has been established in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Officials say the unit will serve as secretariat for all urban refugee support bodies in each district of the province.

The unit has separate desks for health, education, livelihood, protection and repatriation issues pertaining to Afghan refugees settled in urban areas of the province.

Chief Commissioner of Afghan Refugees Mohammad Saleem Khan inaugurated the unit, calling it a necessary step.

Off-camp refugees in the province faced serious problems related to sustainable livelihoods and a range of protection risks and discrimination, he said.

Around 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees are currently living in Pakistan. Some 52 per cent of them are residing outside camps while 48 per cent are living in 43 camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Bernard Inkoom, head of the UNHCR sub-office in Peshawar, hoped issues regarding urban refugees would be resolved with the establishment of the new unit.

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