PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Pakistan’s army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa says the repatriation of Afghan refugees is the key to eradication of terrorism from the region.
Pakistani Taliban fighters regularly used the concentration of nearly 2.7 million Afghan refugees to recruit, morph and melt, he said.
Addressing the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Germany on Saturday, Gen. Qamar said: “It is time for these refugees to be repatriated with dignity.
“It is the only way we can ensure that no one is misusing our hospitality and soil for mischief in Afghanistan. This is possible at a fraction of the cost of the war in Afghanistan -- around $46 billion per year.”
He claimed there were no organised insurgent camps on Pakistan’s soil. But he did not rule out the presence of terrorists of various hues, hiding in mountains, border towns and 54 refugee camps in the country.
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