Returnees call for shelter in Ghazni

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): A number of families forcibly deported from Pakistan and Iran to the southern province of Ghazni complain about lack of shelter and want the government to provide them land plots.

As the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan and Iran continues at a rapid pace, several returnee families in Ghazni say they have no homes or lands.

Ghulam Sarwar, who recently returned from Pakistan and is currently residing in a dilapidated house belonging to relatives in the Bahlol area of Ghazni City, told Pajhwok Afghan News unemployment and homelessness were their main challenges.

He said: “When we returned to the country, the government gave us some money, but there has been no further support. We need land. We are living in extremely harsh conditions.”

Another returnee, Shah Mohammad, said he was originally from Ghazni but had no house there. He also sought land allotment.

Similarly, a woman named Shazia, whose husband has passed away and who had been living with her children in Iran, recalled she was forcibly deported.

She commented: “It’s nearly impossible to find a rental property here, and even if one is available, the rent is far too high for us to afford.”

Meanwhile, local officials in Ghazni say they are working hard to address the various challenges faced by returnees in the province.

Director of Refugees and Repatriation Maulvi Matiullah Arab told Pajhwok the Islamic Emirate had allocated 6,000 jeribs of land in the Pas-Hasar area of Ghazni for a township for returnees. The allotment process will begin soon.

He added 2,500 families gad recently returned to Ghazni from Iran and Pakistan, and the registration process for land allocation had already commenced.

sa/mud