ISLAMABAD: (APP) Minister for Ports and Shipping Mir Hasil Bezinjo Wednesday said census should be put on hold for some months till all refugees in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are not sent to their country.
Speaking at a press conference here, he said it was decided in an all parties conference that refugees should not stay in the country beyond a certain time.
Bizenjo, who is also President of National Party said presence of Afghan refugees would affect the census.
He said census was already delayed for about 10 years and its delay for few more months would not cause any problem.
Census could be held in six months after sending all the aliens to their countries, he added.
He said Afghans residing in Pakistan even voted for presidential elections of Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani and polling booths were set up in cities of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Stay of refugees in the country would be against the interest of Balochistan and federation of Pakistan, he added.
Those people who have migrated to Karachi and other provinces of Pakistan due to insurgency in Balochistan should also be brought back.
He said they had no objection on holding of census in Punjab and Sindh.
The minister said the federal cabinet had decided that Afghan refugees could stay in the country, adding his party would take up the matter in Parliament and Supreme Court for sending back the refugees.
To a question, he said the demands of making new provinces would open a pandora's box and it should not be done.
He said one party has demanded making of a new province, adding new province could not be made on the demand of one party as other parties including Jamiat Ulema Islam and Awami National Party also represent people of Balochistan.
Bizenjo was of the view that elements in United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees were also a hurdle in the repatriation of Afghan refugees.
He said Afghan refugees had started to leave from certain areas.
He said there were reports that fake CNIC were forcibly made by number of Afghans by harassing NADRA officials in Balochistan.