Maulawi Abdul Kabir, Afghanistan’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, has stressed that Afghan refugees are not a burden on host countries, but rather make meaningful economic contributions.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony at a religious school in Paktia, he said that any assistance provided by host countries to Afghan refugees in the past was driven by their own interests.

“Afghans earn their own livelihoods; they own factories and shops,” he said. “No country in the world can claim that Afghans are a burden. Did Afghans go door to door asking for handouts? Did they engage in theft? Host countries collect taxes from Afghans and use that revenue to develop their own economies.”

Maulawi Abdul Kabir urged Afghan migrants to return home and resume their economic activities freely.

“We call on investors abroad: if you are living without dignity, return and invest in Afghanistan willingly,” he said. “Rehabilitate land, expand agriculture, create jobs for the people, and help make wheat cheaper.”

His remarks come amid ongoing calls by some neighboring countries for the return of Afghan migrants, often portraying them as a burden on host societies.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan, has announced that Tashkent and Ashgabat have coinciding approaches to facilitate the peaceful development of Afghanistan.

Speaking on Friday at the International Forum on Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, Mirziyoyev said that Afghanistan’s development can be achieved by integrating the country into regional economic processes and strengthening infrastructure connectivity.

At the conference, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, also referred to the establishment of a United Nations regional center for the Sustainable Development Goals in Almaty and emphasized the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.