§ 11.14 a.m.
§ Lord ALPORTMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any help is being provided from British sources for the maintenance of the 250,000 refugees from Afghanistan now in Pakistan.
§ Lord TREFGARNEYes, my Lords, through our contribution to the general programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Food Programme, and the United Nations Children's Fund, all of which are helping these refugees. United Kingdom contributions to European Community resources also support the Community's pledges to the United Nations High Commissioner's general programme and the World Food Programme.
§ Lord ALPORTMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether the Government are aware of the serious implications, so far as the stability of Pakistan and that part of Asia is concerned, of this enormous influx of refugees? Would it be in the interests of the United Kingdom that some contribution should be made to 1794 ameliorate the situation there in our own name, rather than through an international fund?
§ Lord TREFGARNEYes, my Lords. I accept what my noble friend has said, and I can say that we are ready to consider very sympathetically any application made to us by the Pakistanis for bilateral aid in this matter—of course, within our resources. But I must say that no such application has so far been received.
§ Lord MERRIVALEMy Lords, may I support the plea made by my noble friend Lord Alport, as I was in Pakistan in September and, with my wife, visited Warsak refugee camp close to Peshawar? May I ask my noble friend whether it would be possible for someone from our Embassy to see for himself the conditions there, which might also incite Her Majesty's Government to be more generous than they may already be prepared to be? Also, is my noble friend aware of what Mr. Azmat Hassan said at the United Nations in November this year, to the effect that the provision of food to these refugees had proved a burden on Pakistan's severely limited resources? May I further add that there are now over 310,000 refugees from Afghanistan?
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, I can only repeat what I said earlier—that we are ready to consider most sympathetically any application for bilateral aid in this matter, within the limits of our resources, but no such application has yet been received. With regard to the number, I am afraid that both my noble friends are out of date. The number we have now is 350,000.