PESHAWAR: The elders of Afghan refugees residing in various parts of Khyber Palchtunkhwa on Wednesday demanded of the government to extend their stay in the country for two years so that they could wind up their businesses and sell their properties.

The demand was made at a jirga held at Peshawar Press Club that was attended by more than 200 Afghan refugees and their elders belonging to nine refugee camps. The elders urged federal and provincial governments to help them resolve several issues including businesses and properties with their Pakistani partners before their repatriation to Afghanistan.

They also staged a demonstration near the Afghan Consulate, sayingAfghan government was not making any effort for resettlement of repatriating refugees. The jirga was addressed by Haji Arsala Khan, Haji Sherzada, Qari Mehmood Shah, Mohammad Saeed Hashmi and others.

The speakers talked aboutincrease in repatriation of Afghan refugees and the problems being faced by them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Addressing the jirga, Haji Arsala Khan said that Afghan refugees were grateful to the government of Pakistan for its decades-long hospitality. He said that education, health and other facilities in Pakistan were available to Afghans without any discrimination.

He said that they were also given opportunities to establish their businesses in Pakistan.

`Now the Afghans want to repatriate to their own country with dignity, said Haji Arsala Khan. However, hesaid that Afghans wanted to wind up their businesses in Pakistan before leaving for their homeland but it was not possible in a short span of six months.

Haji Sherzada, another elder, said that the debtors had refused to pay them their money because they realised that Afghans were going back as extension in their stay would end in December 2016.

`On the other hand, creditors have started harassing us for returning their money as soon as possible,` he said. He demanded of the government to form a body to settle financial matters between Pakistanis and Afghans.

According to UN report, Haji Arsala Khan said, around 1.5 million people had become homeless owing to prolonged war in Afghanistan. He wondered whether Afghanistan would be able to absorb the huge population if they all went back within the stipulated timeframe.

He said that no proper health, education and job facilities were available in Afghanistan in the prevailing circumstances. He called upon the governments in Islamabad and Kabul to create conducive environment for return of Afghan refugees.

Haji Arsala Khan said that refugee camps were not sanctuaries of terrorists. He said that they had been residing there for decades in peaceful manner and contributed to development and progress ofPakistan.

He urged the government of Pakistan to extend Proof of Residency cards of registered Afghan refugees so that they could settle their issues and financial matters with their Pakistani hosts.

Haji Arsala Khan said that the process of their repatriation should be initiated after restoration of normalcy and stability in Afghanistan.