August 22, 2003	Friday	Jumadi-us-Sani 23, 1424

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QUETTA, Aug 21: Country representative of the UNHCR in Pakistan Hasim Utkan has said that the organization and government officials in Islamabad will soon discuss systematic identification of the Afghan refugees to determine their actual enumeration.

Talking to newsmen at the Baleli Voluntary departure centre on the occasion of the repatriation of 114 families to Afghanistan here on Wednesday, he stated that due to cost and security reasons four camps in Chaman would be shifted to Muhammadkhel in Panjpai.

Mr Utkan conceded it was difficult to determine the total number of the refugees in the camps.

He said the UNHCR was assisting approximately 3.3 million refugees who left their homeland when forces of former Soviet Union invaded Kabul in 1979 and maintained that according to the repatriation programme, last year 1.8 million refugees had been repatriated.

He further said that remaining 1.5 million refugees would be sent back to their homeland till 2005 and added that Islamabad had different opinion on the actual figure of the refugees.

UNHCR representative referred to Islamabad’s version stating that the population of the refugees during last two decades had increased.

He clarified that the UNHCR strictly adhered to the refugee terminology defined in Geneva Convention as people crossing borders willingly for other purposes could not be described as refugees.

He said that 220,000 refugees had been repatriated from Balochistan and 130,000 would be sent back voluntarily by 2005.

Mr Utkan said that valid reasons for the Afghans to step into another country were lack of security, unemployment, lack of education facilities and non-availability of infrastructures.