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Camps being set up in Nangarhar, Kandahar for returning refugees
Authorities are setting up temporary camps in Nangarhar and Kandahar provinces as return of refugees has increased sharply due to Pakistan’s crackdown.
Local officials in Nangarhar said that they are providing facilities for refugees returning from Pakistan.
According to the officials, a camp is being built in Lalpur district of Nangarhar province, and returnees will be taken care of in the camp.
The majority of Afghans who voluntarily return or get deported from Pakistan use the Torkham crossing.
"Construction of the camp is going on, and returnees from remote provinces or those who have no home here can live in this camp for some days until they return to their provinces, and in this camp, all the facilities for returnees will be provided,” said Saeedullah Banuri, the deputy governor of Nangarhar.
Meanwhile, Nangarhar Department of Public Health said their health teams provide health services to the returnees round the clock.
"During the day, all health teams, including women's health workers, are present in Torkham, and during the night, four health teams provide services to the people,” said Abdulla Azizi, deputy director of Nangarhar public health.
Officials in the provincial Department of Refugees and Repatriation said that up to 4,000 refugees return from Pakistan every day.
"They forced us out, and on the way the Pakistani police took money from us up to 5,000 from each vehicle leaving, and there is a lot of oppression going on against Afghans,” said Gul Ahmad, a returnee from Pakistan.
"One of my sons is still in prison in Pakistan. I was also arrested and 86,000 Pakistani rupees were taken from me. Our request from the government is that it should support Afghans who return from Pakistan because they are very poor,” said Silabzai, a returnee from Pakistan.
Nangarhar Department of Refugees and Repatriation said that since the return of migrants is increasing, they have facilitated the processing and registration process.
"We have increased the number of employees and returnees will be registered even if the number increases, that is why we will build this camp so that they can stay here until their registration process is completed and later they would go to their provinces and districts,” said Baz Mohammad Abdurrahman, head of Nangarhar Department of Refugees and Repatriation.
According to the officials, the returnees who do not have home in Afghanistan will also have the support of some international organizations.
In the meantime, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said that a temporary camp will be built in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province for Afghan refugees who are deported from Pakistan.
The acting minister of refugees said that a delegation from Kabul visited Kandahar to start the construction of the camp.
A number of those who have returned from Pakistan say that the government should address their problems as soon as possible.
Pakistan has set November 1 as deadline for illegal migrants to leave the country.
"We want to build temporary camps with all the facilities for the returnees until they are cleared and then they are transferred to their permanent places,” said Khalil ul-Rahman Haqqani, acting minister of refugees.
A number of those returning from Pakistan want the government to speed up the registration of returnees.
"We haven't received any help since we came, and we want to be helped,” said Raz Mohammad, a returnee from Pakistan.
Acting minister of refugees, however, said that they have increased the facilities in Kandahar several times to address the problem of returnees.
Pakistan is deporting refugees despite calls by the international organizations to suspend the process.
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Iran to Host ECO Ministerial Meeting next week
The 28th meeting of the foreign ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states will be held in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad next week.
Spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Esmaeil Baqaei said on Sunday that the upcoming meeting will be attended by the ministers and senior officials of ECO, directors of the regional specialized departments of the organization, and the secretaries general of a number of multilateral economic organizations.
The meeting will be chaired by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Iranian local media reported.
Iran is holding the rotating presidency of ECO in 2024.
The Tehran-headquartered ECO was established by Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey in 1985.
The main purpose of the organization is to promote economic, technical, and cultural cooperation among the member states.
In 1992, the organization was expanded to include seven new members, namely Afghanistan, Republic of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
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Daesh claims responsibility for Baghlan attack
A provincial police official, said that several people were arrested in connection with the incident, and that an investigation has been launched.
The Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K), also known as Daesh, has claimed responsibility for a gun attack that left 10 people dead at a Sufi shrine in northern Baghlan province.
The interior ministry spokesman Abdul Matin Qani confirmed that a gunman opened fire on Sufis taking part in a weekly ritual at the Sayed Pasha Agha shrine in a remote area of Nahrin district.
Abdul Ghayoor Khadim, a provincial police official, said that several people were arrested in connection with the incident, and that an investigation has been launched.
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Russia will not ‘artificially impede’ process of removing IEA from list of terrorist groups
Rudenko said let’s act gradually, step by step, but we do not intend to artificially impede the processes
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the completion of legal procedures to remove the Islamic Emirate from Moscow’s terrorist list will provide positive impetus to Russian-Afghan relations.
In an interview with Russia’s TASS news agency, Rudenko said “removing the terrorist organization’s status from the Taliban Movement (Islamic Emirate) will attribute a positive impetus to Russian-Afghan interaction in various spheres, in the economy in the first instance."
"As regards the issue of the official recognition of current Afghan authorities, it is early to talk about it thus far. Let’s act gradually, step by step, but we do not intend to artificially impede the processes," Rudenko noted.
"Russia is taking steps of establishing practical interaction with authorities of Afghanistan on issues of mutual interest," the Russian diplomat added.
Early last month, Russia's Foreign Ministry said a decision to remove the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) from a list of terrorist organisations had been "taken at the highest level".
This came after Putin stated in July that Russia considered the IEA an ally in the fight against terrorism.
Russia has been slowly building ties with the Islamic Emirate since it seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 but the IEA is still officially outlawed in Russia.
In response to Russia’s comments last month, the IEA’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the Islamic Emirate “appreciates the positive remarks by the high-ranking officials of the Russian Federation in this regard and hope to see more effective steps soon."
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