Iran says to organize Afghan migrants to allay public concerns

“We are seriously pursuing efforts to organize them,” said Fadahossein Maleki, a member of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee.

“The important point is that we expect further coordination among relevant bodies, so that we will pursue a single policy on the issue and people’s concerns will be removed accordingly,” he added.

This comes as public concern has grown over the presence of Afghan refugees in Iran.

People argue that the presence of Afghan nationals has not only increased costs of public services, but also undermined security in the country.

Last week Ahmad Vahidi, the Iranian Interior Minister said currently there are five million Afghans in Iran.

The influx of Afghan refugees into Iran sped up following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan almost two years ago.