United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, met Pakistani starlet Mahira Khan in the sidelines of his ongoing tour to Pakistan. He shared a picture with her on his Twitter account and expressed gratitude for the continuous support of Afghan refugees in Pakistan in her capacity as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Pakistan.
As we mark 40 years of Pakistan’s solidarity with Afghan refugees, it was a pleasure to meet @Refugees Goodwill Ambassador @TheMahiraKhan
I thank her and all Pakistanis for their extraordinary support. pic.twitter.com/wsdsSestCk
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) February 17, 2020
He praised Mahira Khan on the occasion of commemorating Pakistan’s relentless support to the Afghan refugees for the past 40 years. Antonio Guterres addressed an international conference on the Refugee Summit in Islamabad yesterday.
Meanwhile, Mahira Khan was appointed United Nations High Commission for Refugee’s goodwill ambassador for Pakistan in November last year. Mahira Khan said she was grateful for being chosen to represent UNHCR in her country.
“Proud to be born to a motherland that has opened its arms to refugees for over 40 years,” she tweeted following the announcement.
She shared her video message posted on UNHCR’s official Twitter account. In the video, Khan asserted that the cause of rehabilitating the refugees must not be limited to one country. She urged other nations to share the responsibility of rehabilitating the Afghan refugees.
Read more: Mahira Khan becomes a part of Pakistan’s National Youth Council
The actress described them as resilient and hopeful who have denied all the odds despite the violence they have faced. Khan claimed that Pakistan has set a tremendous example before the world by hosting Afghan refugees for the past 40 years. In these years, Pakistan has provided them shelter, identity, food, and employment, helping them to support their families.
Earlier, she appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in supporting the Afghan refugees in commemoration of the United Nations World Refugee Day.
Khan lauded Pakistan’s relentless efforts in providing shelter to the millions of displaced Afghan immigrants. These efforts have led Pakistan to mitigate the impact of war and violence on human lives.
Mahira Khan is also the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations in Pakistan. She visited the refugee camps in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last year with United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees Chief Filippo Grandi, who was in Pakistan for a three-day visit along with UN Humanitarian Chief Mark Lowcock last year. The actress felt happy after meeting Afghan refugees and stated that she wants to help them personally.
Read more: Mahira Khan lauds Pakistan’s service to Afghan refugees on ‘World Refugee Day’
Earlier, on ‘World Refugee Day ‘, Mahira Khan posted a video on her Twitter account in which she shed light on the plights faced by displaced refugees. She further stated that refugees are the victims of the war, who after losing their homes are denied basic amenities of life like food, water, shelter, and education.
Mahira Khan cited the instance of brotherly relations demonstrated between the Ansars of Medina and Muhajirin of Makka. She acknowledged that Pakistan living up to the tradition set by Islam has been immensely servicing their brothers from cross-border Afghanistan for decades. “To this day, the nation has kept these traditions alive”, said Mahira Khan.
Mahira Khan said that these people are innocent and are vulnerable and entails extra care from us. The video also stated the fact that 85% of these Afghan refugees were denied shelters in developed countries like North Korea and the United States of America. Hence, a few other developing countries besides Pakistan have hosted a large influx of Afghan immigrants.