WASHINGTON DC: National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf has said that Pakistan cannot bear the burden of hosting more Afghan refugees.
Addressing a press conference in Washington DC, Moeed Yusuf said that safe zones should be established within Afghanistan for the refugees.
Responding to a question, Moeed said that Pakistan and the United States need to work together to address the security concern in Afghanistan.
“Unfortunately, Afghan soil has been used for activities against Pakistan in the past,” he said, adding that the territory is still being used for subversive activities in Pakistan.
Earlier, Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi on July 10 had said that Pakistan had played host to more than three million Afghan refugees over the years and did not have the capacity to bear the burden of additional refugees.
Speaking to the media in Multan, the foreign minister had said: "If the situation arises where more people need refuge, we will first develop a plan."
The foreign minister had expressed concern that miscreants may attempt to enter Pakistan under the guise of being refugees.
"Our first attempt to deal with the situation will be to try and have Afghan refugees stay in Afghanistan," he had said.
Moving on to speak about peace in the region at large, he had added that "talks are underway with all stakeholders for regional peace".