Karzai to Taliban: Dear brothers - please have your own authority
KABUL - Marking World Refugee Day on Monday, the Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Sayed Hussain Alemi Balkhi, said in Kabul that Afghans make up the second largest group of migrants in the world and that in just six months, over 150,000 have applied for asylum abroad.
Speaking at the event, Balkhi said that insecurity and economic issues are the main reasons for youths fleeing the country.
The minister raised concerns over this problem and said people are even putting their lives at risk in a bid to get out of the country.
"Due to insecurity, meaning war, psychological insecurities, meaning the U.S troops withdrawal from Afghanistan, and economic problems force large numbers of citizens to migrate," said Balkhi.
Meanwhile former President Hamid Karzai once again appealed to the youth to stay in the country and warned that they will not become millionaires in foreign countries.
Karzai added that the current situation will not last for long and that the situation will improve.
"Those who leave the country will become a daily worker which is a glory work but will never be a millionaire," said Karzai.
Speaking at the event, Karzai said that recent remarks by Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif showed that in the areas where Taliban are active Pakistan has dominance. Karzai once again called Taliban brothers and urged them to come out from under Pakistan's dominance.
Karzai said that Pakistan defense minister's comments that they would call for the Taliban's cooperation was in fact an insult to Afghanistan.
"Yesterday one of Pakistan's ministers said during the inauguration of TAPI project that they will get Taliban to cooperate over the TAPI project. In fact such remarks are an insult to Afghanistan people and an insult to the Taliban," Karzai said.
"And this shows that where Taliban are based Pakistan has dominance. Once again I called upon Taliban - dear brothers - please have your own authority and come to your homeland and build your homeland," Karzai said.
In addition, the CEO's second deputy Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq said at the event that reasons given by asylum seekers for their move should be identified.
"It is not clear how the situation will be, but it is clear when you destroy a bird's nest, birds will leave the nest, but if a bee hive is destroyed, bees will not leave," said Mohaqiq.
According to official statistics, the first six months of this year saw about 60,000 Afghans return to the country but in the second half of the year 150,000 Afghans sought asylum abroad – many of them losing their lives along the way. (Tolonews)