Pakistan and UN host special summit on future of Afghan refugees

The gathering comes at a time of heightened anticipation of a possible peace deal between the Taliban and the US and a number of high profile Afghan, American and UN leaders will attend.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (C), United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) and Second Afghan Vice President Sarwar Danish (R) attend the Refugee Summit Islamabad to mark 40 years of hosting Afghan refugee in Islamabad on February 17, 2020.
AFP

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (C), United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) and Second Afghan Vice President Sarwar Danish (R) attend the Refugee Summit Islamabad to mark 40 years of hosting Afghan refugee in Islamabad on February 17, 2020.

Pakistan and the United Nations' refugee agency host a conference on the future of the 4.6 milion Afghan refugees, many of whom are hosted by Pakistan. 

The gathering comes at a time of heightened anticipation of a possible peace deal between the Taliban and the US and a number of high profile Afghan, American and UN leaders will attend.

After four decades of war and conflict, more than 1.5 million Afghans still live as refugees in Pakistan.

Now, for the first time in years, there’s a faint possibility they might eventually return home. The United States and the Taliban appear to have inched closer to a peace deal, agreeing as a first step to a temporary “reduction in violence.”

If that truce should hold, the next step could be a long-sought-after agreement between Washington and the Taliban to end Afghanistan’s current war, now in its 19th year.

The agreement would return American troops home and start negotiations between the warring Afghans to bring peace to their shattered country.

Against the backdrop of a possible peace deal, Pakistan is hosting a conference Monday attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to recognise 40 years of Afghans living as refugees. Also attending the conference in the capital, Islamabad, is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, whose job would be to help the Afghans return home.

TRT World also partnered with stakeholders to host a special panel at the summit.

The panel consisted of the following guests:

  1. Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
  2. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan
  3. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  4. Zalmay Khalilzad, Ambassador, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation 
  5. Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection
  6. Afghanistan's Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Haroon Chakhansuri

UN chief urges India to respect human rights in Kashmir

UN chief on Sunday urged India to fully respect the human rights in Kashmir and stressed a dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve the dispute.

Addressing a conference on climate change in the capital Islamabad, aired by state-run Pakistan Television, Antonio Guterres said he has always been advocating the need for an "enhanced dialogue" between India and Pakistan and for that he offered his good office more than once.

Recalling the UN Human Rights Commission reports on Kashmir, he said the two reports played “a very important role in clarifying the situation” in Indian-administered Kashmir.

“So our strong commitment is clear, human rights must be respected everywhere in the world, but also there," he added.

The UN chief remarks came some seven months into a lockdown on Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian-administered section of the disputed Kashmir region, a move widely decried by human rights groups as well as the global Islamic community.

Responding to a question regarding a dispute on water between Pakistan and India, the UN chief said there has been an agreement between the two countries and they should cooperate with each other.

Climate change

Speaking about climate change in the world, the UN chief said the climate crisis is “perhaps the greatest current obstacle to global peace, stability and prosperity.”

"Peace, prosperity, dignity and realization of human rights for all people on a healthy planet. These are the objectives of the 2030 agend a," he said.

He urged the world to fulfill their commitments that were made in Paris to counter the climate challenges.

The Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries in April 2016, aims to fight climate change by reducing carbon emissions and limiting global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius.

Earlier, Guterres also met with a delegation of Afghan refugees in Islamabad.

"My first meeting in Pakistan: generations of Afghan refugees shared their deeply moving stories, hopes & dreams. For 40 years, Pakistan has sheltered Afghan refugees. I urge the world to support host countries and show similar leadership in standing #WithRefugees," the UN chief said on Twitter.

Guterres arrived in Pakistan on Sunday morning for a four-day visit to the country.

He will also meet with President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and Qureshi, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

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