19 June 2004	Saturday	30 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

PESHAWAR, June 18: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is giving top priority to the repatriation of Afghan refugees to lessen the burden on Pakistan, said Commissioner for Afghan Refugees while speaking at a forum.

"The UNHCR considers repatriation the best solution for the refugees in context of Pakistan," said Jamshedul Hassan, Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, while speaking at the Faculty of Law, University of Peshawar, on Friday.

The forum was organized jointly by the UNHCR and the Human Rights Study Centre of the University of Peshawar. The UNHCR observes the World Refugee Day on June 18 and 20 with the aim of enabling the refugees to resume their lives in a new country.

According to the Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, 1.1 million refugees had been repatriated last year from Pakistan, whereas an additional 646,000 people returned to their homeland from other countries across the region.

He said that the UNHCR had facilitated the return of more than three million Afghan refugees to their country since 2002. Miss Marcella, senior protection officer of UNHCR, said on the occasion that sustained international support throughout the entire process of repatriation, reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction was crucial.

Presentation on the problem of refugees and durable solutions for them were made by the Peshawar University, Information and Legal Aid Centres (ILACs), the UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee.