Cash assistance for Afghan refugees starts in KP

PESHAWAR:: The Government of Pakistan, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in collaboration with Pakistan Post, started the first disbursements of emergency cash assistance to the most vulnerable refugee families impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in the province.

A press release said the first distribution was carried out at Chamkani Post Office in Peshawar. The dignitaries who attended the event included Bernard Inkoom, UNHCR Head of Sub-Office Peshawar, Zaheer Ullah Khattak, Deputy Postmaster General of Pakistan Post Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,. Muhammad Shafee Murad, Deputy Director of the Afghan Ministry for Refugees and Repatriation (MORR), and senior officials from the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, Shura leaders, refugee community mobilizers and outreach volunteers.

Officials from the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees that the emergency cash is similar to the Federal Government’s Ehsaas emergency cash programme, where vulnerable families receive Rs.12,000. It will help the eligible refugee families to meet their urgent needs during the Covid-19 pandemic. They also said that the Government of Pakistan will continue to stand by Afghan refugees in this hour of need.

Speaking at the event, Bernard Inkoom stated that “socio-economic condition of refugees have been significantly impacted by Covid-19, especially daily wage earners, due to an extended period of lockdown and slowdown of the economy. This cash assistance will reach those most affected by and help them get back on their feet.”“UNHCR is working hand-in-hand with the Government of Pakistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, focusing on better protecting, assisting and advocating on behalf of refugees in the current pandemic,” he said. He added that UNHCR’s interventions are in line with the UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan for Covid-19.

Previously, UNHCR and the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees have carried out extensive vulnerability assessments to identify the most needy refugee families across the province. Last week, UNHCR and the Pakistan Post also signed an agreement for the disbursement of the emergency cash assistance. Some 36,000 families will be the initial beneficiaries of this emergency cash assistance through the Pakistan Post. Those eligible for the emergency assistance include refugees with disabilities or serious medical conditions, as well as single parents.

The Deputy Postmaster General, Zaheer Ullah Khattak, said that “the Pakistan Post Office Department is dedicated to delivering this important emergency cash assistance to Afghan refugees”. He expressed his resolve to carry out this task efficiently across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.