NEW DELHI: Masima Nafisa, a 42-year-old refugee from Afghanistan has been residing in Delhi’s Bhogle area for the last ten years. Forced to leave her country after her brother-in-law was killed by Taliban, Nafisa found refuge in India , but now wants to move to another country.
“What was supposed to be just a transit point has become a permanent residence. All the refugees are moved to another country within 18 months but why are we living here for so long and other refugees from countries are resettled? This is discrimination by UNHCR” Nafisa told The Sunday Standard.
United under the front Afghan Solidarity Committee for Refugees and Asylum Seekers, around 500 families has written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) demanding resettlement. “UNHCR should answer about the refuges that are living in worse situation,” said the president of the committee Mohmmad Daud Sharifee.
Suchita Mehta at the UNHCR said the resettlement process is slow hence as it is entirely the other countries prerogative on who to take in or not, UNHCR is just the facilitator. There are 10,241 refugees and 3,451 asylum seekers from Afghanistan registered with UNHCR India at the end of February 2016, informed Mehta.