Stakeholders' Conference On Challenges Faced By Afghan Refugees Held

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Dec, 2022 ) :A one-day stakeholders' conference on political and socio-economic challenges being faced by Afghan refugees was held at the Institute of Management Sciences which was sponsored by Friedrich Naumann Foundation, a German organization working for the facilitation of Afghan Refugees.

The welcome remarks for the ceremony were given by the Director of the Institute of Management Sciences, Dr. Muhammad Mohsin Khan, who set the pace for participants and guest speakers by raising some very thought-provoking points.

Dr. Babar Ali Shah, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Peshawar, was the guest speaker at the event. Shedding light on the socioeconomic challenges faced by Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he informed participants about the unique geo-political location of Afghanistan and also mentioned foreign invasions and domestic turmoil as hindrances in the stabilization of Afghanistan.

Ms. Saira Bano from UNHCR Peshawar discussed the educational interventions by international organizations for young Afghan refugees. She discussed the duties and services that UNHCR has already provided and will continue to provide for Afghan refugees.

She went into detail about the organized educational approach that UNHCR is providing to the 34,000 primary-level Afghan students living in refugee camps and encouraged female students to participate.

Dr. Javed Iqbal, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Management Sciences, talked about the state of urban refugees in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. He stated the findings of a study they recently conducted and came up with concrete results and figures about the number of Afghan refugees living in urban areas, the provision of WASH services to them, livelihood opportunities, educational attainment and other aspects.

Speaking on the occasion, the Director Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PAJCCI), Zia-ul-Haq Sarhadi said good relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan were imperative for ensuring better law and order besides the promotion of commerce and trade in the region.

He highly appreciated 15-day training programme arranged by IMSciences for Afghan students and said such initiatives will help a lot in the socio-economic uplift of Afghan refugees.

Lastly, a panel discussion was conducted which was participated by Dr. Amjad Ali Arbab (Chairman MISFA), Saira Bano (education Associate at UNHCR), Dr. Hameedullah (Deputy Commercial Attache in Consulate General of Afghanistan), Dr. Asif Ashraf Khan (Beyond Solutions), Dr. Babar Shah (Professor University of Peshawar), Mr. Rashid Aman (Provincial Chief SMEDA Khyber Pukhtunkhwa) and Zia ul Haq Sarhaddi (Director Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

The panel discussion yielded some fruitful recommendations for all sectors and was followed by a questions and answers session by the participants.

The conference was concluded by Amir Amjad, senior program manager at Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

He thanked all the esteemed guests for their valuable inputs and appreciated the role of the Institute of Management Sciences in arranging and organizing this conference.