KABUL - President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani's Special Envoy and Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Omar Zakhelwal on Saturday said the repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan had political, economical and security advantages for Afghanistan.
During an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News he said tension between Kabul and Islamabad could not be reduced until the later bring changes in its policies regarding the former.
He said neighboring country suffered the most and it had to pay a high price since its relationship with Kabul remained tense over the year.  
“We realised our weaknesses which are economic, transit route and refugees issue. Earlier Islamabad used them as pressure buttons to press us,” believed Zakhelwal.”
The envoy said Kabul was working hard on these areas and would gradually resolve them to get rid of dependence on Pakistan.
“We strengthened economic relations with Central Asian states, and signed the Chabahar trilateral pact to find access to sea,” he said.
According to the Afghan top diplomat the flow of refugees return from Pakistan got momentum and a large number of Afghan refugees’ families have returned their home in the recent months.
The newly launched projects ‘Khpal Watan Gul Watan’ aimed at encouraging refugees to repatriate had positive results too, he added.
The envoy believed return of Afghan refugees was in the interest of all parties and the drive would have long-term economic, political and security benefits for refugees and Afghanistan.
He said as many 30 million people lived in Afghanistan and the return of two or three million more people would not have bad impact on current situations in the country.
Zalkhelwal said, he would soon meet with the President Ashraf Ghani and would ask him to provide each returnee with a plot.
He said some Taliban insurgents’ leaders also contacted and told him they would return to Afghanistan and wanted to live a life with honor.
“I welcome those Taliban leaders who want to reconcile and I assure them that they would benefit from every civil rights in the country,” he said.
According to the envoy earlier the Afghani migrants in Pakistan did not feel for the country, but now they had grown up and they realised that they should live in dignity in their own country.  
The ambassador said, the stay of Afghan refugees in Pakistan was in Islamabad’s interest because they received billions of rupees in their Gross Domestic Products GDP from refugees and also got aid from different sources for refugees.
About the peace process he said that Afghanistan lost confidence on Pakistan in this regard because the Islamabad’s efforts in peace talks were not sincere.(Pajhwok)