December 8, 2001	Saturday	Ramazan 22, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 7: The UNHCR on Friday described as incorrect the charges of forcible relocation of Afghan refugees levelled against it by the Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Replying to a question at a UN news briefing, United Nations High Commission for Refugees spokesperson Maki Shinohara said the contention of the HRW that refugees were being forcibly shifted to Kotkai was not true.

“It is not the mandate of UNHCR to forcibly relocate refugees,” she added.

On Wednesday, the HRW accused the Pakistan government and the UNHCR of forcibly moving the refugees to camps nearer to the Afghanistan border.

Releasing testimonies, taken in the New Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar and in the Kotkai camp close to the Afghanistan border, HRW called upon Pakistan and the UNHCR to locate refugee camps in areas where the safety of the refugees and the relief staff could be guaranteed.

Refuting the HRW’s claim, the UNHCR spokesperson said some 400-500 refugees were, in fact, unhappy about the temporary halt in their relocation from Jalozai to Kotkai, and added that relocation might not be the ideal thing, but the refugees would have a choice.