Over 1,000 protesters from the Afghan Hazara community turned out to meet President Ashraf Ghani upon his arrival in Canberra this week, saying that "if they return to Afghanistan they will be killed."
In contrast to this, President Ghani says that his government is working hard to help returning migrants establish new and better lives.
“This year my real focus will work on how to create more opportunities for Afghan returnees to live a life with dignity," President Ghani tells SBS Pashto in his exclusive Pashto-language interview while in Australia this week.
“We have been preparing for this.”
Hazara protesters in Canberra were concerned the Afghan government might be seeking a deal similar to the one it struck with the European Union last year, which has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants deported back to Afghanistan - many against their will.
President Ghani did not address such a deal with SBS Pashto, but told ABC'S 730 that in his talks with Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull, "This has not been part of our discussion."
"Afghans returning to Afghanistan are our pride and we have got special arrangements for this," Ghani tells SBS.
"We have got new commitments and we are also spending our own money."
"Afghans returning to Afghanistan are our pride and we have got special arrangements for this."
President Ghani also says that a scheme has been put in place to ensure work and opportunities will be provided to returning Afghans.
"We have established a program called 'Tashwiq' encouragement, and through this, the youth with expertise from foreign countries are given work and we have got rid of paperwork and bureaucracy," says President Ghani.
The Tashwiq scheme was announced by the Ghani government late last year, along with a commitment to employ "10,000 youths in Government institutions."
Figures from aid agencies confirm that Afghanistan itself is now taking in more Afghan migrants than any other country with President Ghani himself confirming in interviews that the country took in 1.2 million returnees last year alone.
Many migrants are also being forced to return after the European Union last year struck a deal with Afghanistan to return tens of thousands of Afghan migrants who had made their way to the continent.
"The E.U. and the government of Afghanistan intend to cooperate closely in order to organize the dignified, safe and orderly return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan who do not fulfill the conditions to stay in the E.U," the agreement read.
Under the UNHCR voluntary repatriation scheme, Afghan migrants returning from Pakistan (the country where most Afghan migrants are currently based) were last year granted cash payments of US $400 upon their return. The scheme has just been reopened but the payment has now been halved to $200.
Afghanistan itself is now taking in more Afghan migrants than any other country - 1.2 million returnees last year alone
President Ghani was keen to emphasise though that there is no shortage of foreign aid to the country, citing a NATO commitment made at last year's Warsaw summit to pledge $1 billion per year until 2020.
"Two years ago people were saying that Afghanistan might not get even $4 billion in foreign aid," says Ghani. "But in fact we have received $15.2 billion."
The President says that the main purpose behind his historic tour to Australia, the first of its kind ever undertaken by an Afghan President, was to express gratitude for such aid and defence contributions made by Australia including- a further development deal signed by Turnbull and Ghani, as part of the visit, worth $320 million over four years to 2020.
"Australia is our partner and without any expectation, it has helped us," says Ghani.
"Australia’s economic assistance is more than $1 billion."
"They have also lost 42 of their young personnel and 18,500 Australian soldiers have provided their service in Afghanistan."
"Our relations and cooperation should last for 20 years"
In addition to financial commitment, Ghani cited Australia's 2016 Defence Strategy whitepaper as further pledge of support, with the strong relationship between the two countries to continue in the medium-to-long-term future.
"Australia’s defence strategy says that we should think about the terrorist threats in the next 20 years," says Ghani.
"This means that our relations and cooperation should last for 20 years and I have managed to establish this foundation.”
As to what Afghans living abroad in Australia, as well as back home, can hope to expect from his leadership into the future, Ghani says, "For 40 years we have lived with blood and crisis but I want to be a bridge to take us from crisis to stability."
Listen to President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani's full interview (in Pashto) with SBS Pashto below:
