IEA to send team to Iran for talks on refugees

A delegation of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) will soon visit Iran to discuss Afghan refugees’ problems with the authorities of the neighboring country, a senior Afghan official said on Tuesday.

Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, acting minister of refugees and repatriation said that the delegation, including the ministry’s officials, would leave for Iran soon after Eid.

“We have a plan which we will share with the Iranian government,” Haqqani said.

An estimated three million Afghans, most of them undocumented refugees, live in Iran. In recent weeks, videos have emerged showing mistreatment of Afghans in Iran.

Iranian authorities have also been deporting scores of Afghans, often violently, every day.

Moreover, there have been some incidents at the border which have caused tensions between the two neighbors.

Haqqani said that ill-wishers want Afghanistan to be in conflict with its neighbors.

“We urge Afghans to control themselves and abide by the international norms,” Haqqani said adding Afghanistan has not violated sovereignty of any other country and expects the same from others.

He also said that authorities would curb cross-border smuggling of Afghans.