October 16, 2001	Tuesday	Rajab 28, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The erratic border crossings into Pakistan continue as Afghans reportedly resort to smuggling routes to leave Afghanistan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees claimed here on Monday.

“With borders closed, Afghans with the money are resorting to organized smuggling networks to get them across for which costs are rising almost by the day.”

The last reported price for the journey from Kandahar to Quetta was Rs1,000 per person. It means around $100 for a family of six, a huge sum in Afghanistan and well beyond the reach of most families, UNHCR said.

According to the UNHCR estimates, at least 30,000 refugees have crossed over into Balochistan and almost a similar number in NWFP during the past 30 days.

Expressing concern about the poor and minorities, UNHCR said that many people have travelled long distances from drought and conflict affected provinces in the north and northwest of Afghanistan such as Kunduz, Balkh and the Hazarajat. Minorities are almost all forced to resort to smugglers and are apparently being charged much more for everything, including transport, on both sides of the border.

The UNHCR claimed that the number of people crossing into Pakistan’s Balochistan province through the Chaman crossing or informal routes nearby appears to be erratic. “The official border crossing is sometimes firmly closed to everyone; sometimes it is open to people with valid documents and to humanitarian cases. And occasionally it has been opened at least for a few hours to a larger number of people.”

According to the details provided by the UNHCR, on Oct 9, at least 600 people are believed to have crossed by legal or informal routes in the Chaman area.

On Oct 10, the official border crossing is reported to have been closed, even for humanitarian cases. On Oct 12, well over 1,000 people are believed to have crossed at the main crossing point. On Oct 13, several hundred crossed by legal and informal routes in the Chaman area.

Taking into account the six or seven other known Balochistan crossing points and possibly several more unknown ones, the UNHCR estimates that on an average of more than 1,000 people per day may have crossed into Balochistan over the past 30 days.

In NWFP, a UNHCR partner agency estimates more than 150 families — more than 1,000 people a day — are crossing into Pakistan using 13 different mountain paths.

Meanwhile, speaking at a press briefing, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) director, Eric Falt, said that 12 to 15 sites would be ready for hosting the refugees in Pakistan by the end of October.

Earlier in the day, a meeting was held in the ministry of Kashmir and Northern Areas Division. The meeting was attended by representatives of the government, the UN country team for Pakistan and representatives of donor countries.

The meeting, sources said, reviewed the state of preparations about possible influx of one million new Afghan refugees into Pakistan. It was agreed to restrict the Afghan refugees in the camps for their possible repatriation back to Afghanistan once the situation returns to normal.

UNHCR country representative for Pakistan, Hasim Utkan, told the meeting that the UNHCR has based its contingency plans on the possible arrival of one million new Afghan refugees. However, he said, UNHCR’s initial preparations would be able to cater for 300,000 new arrivals.

According to UNHCR, a number of sites have been assessed in Balochistan, NWFP and in the tribal areas.

In Balochistan, UNHCR said, six sites have now been assessed of which three sites in Tor Tangi and Roghani in the Chaman area, and Pishook in Chagai district, appear to be viable, although none of them can be said to be satisfactory in all respects.

Darra, which at one stage appeared to offer possibilities, now appears to be viable for only a relatively small number of people as a last resort.

Surveys by OXFAM and Mercy Corps International show that it will take months to increase the flow of water in Darra and the shallow wells that served part of the valley when the old Darra camps were set up in the 1980s are now dry.

Two other sites, Badini and Loyband, north of Quetta, are considered unsuitable by UNHCR.

The UNHCR is holding discussions with the authorities about the possibility of finding other suitable sites in Balochistan.

About site preparations in NWFP, UNHCR said that efforts are focused on identifying and preparing a total of 15 sites for some 150,000 people.

By the middle of this week, land clearing, road preparation, demarcation and sanitation works should be under way in at least five sites stated to receive incoming Afghans across NWFP, and possibly even in more areas pending NGO activities to shift heavy equipment.

The UNHCR, it is said, is seeking six other sites in Khyber agency, where UNHCR estimates some 55 per cent of new arrivals would enter NWFP.

In Kurram agency, three sites have been selected to date.

In South Waziristan agency, one site at Zalai was visited by UNHCR’s implementing partner on Saturday, and construction work on the road into the site was expected to start.

In Bajaur and Mohmand agencies, UNHCR is seeking two more sites from among those suggested by the authorities.