PESHAWAR, April 5: The effective role of the European Community (EC) in the reconstruction of war-ravaged Afghanistan will indirectly benefit Pakistan especially the province of NWFP, which is looking after a large number of Afghan refugees, said NWFP governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah.

Talking to Klaus Peter Klaiber, Special Representative of the European Union for Afghanistan, who called on him along with his two advisers at Governor’s House, Peshawar, here on Friday, he said, though the Afghan issue would take time for its lasting solution yet the situation was improving because of the recent changes in Afghanistan.

The governor also referred to the recent visit of the President Gen Musharraf to Afghanistan.

Referring to the repatriation programme of Afghan refugees to their homeland, the governor said that some workable development plan was required to develop irrigational facilities in the remote areas especially in the villages in Afghanistan, which could contribute to a great extent to ensure refugees rapid repatriation to their homeland.

The impact of the presence of Afghan refugees in NWFP, is very vast which needed to be decreased, he said. At present, he added, we are paying a high price of their presence in NWFP as they are consuming almost 40 per cent of our resources meant for social services particularly in the health sector.

Last year 5,000 to 7,000 Afghan refugees were coming from across the border daily mainly because of drought; from which our country was also suffering.

Talking about poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, the governor said provision of alternate means of livelihood to the concerned farming community as well as strict enforcement of ban on its cultivation was the only solution to this problem.

Mr Klariber while talking on this occasion said that the peaceful and constructive role of European Community in the rehabilitation of Afghanistan would continue.

The EC official also hinted at the effective role of the community in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and said that it would also prove helpful to decrease the difficulties of Pakistan.