10 July 2004	Saturday	21 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

PESHAWAR, July 9: The government has agreed to provide access to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the conflict-affected South Waziristan tribal region to expedite repatriation of Afghan refugees from there, officials said.

The NWFP Governor, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, on Friday told the UNHCR regional head Ms Masti Notz here that the administration would allow the UN field staff to visit camps in the region to register Afghan refugees for the ongoing voluntary repatriation.

Commissioner of Afghan refugees Jamshedul Hassan told Dawn here that the governor had assured the UN official that authorities in the South and North Waziristan regions would be directed to provide security to the UNHCR field staff in their respective areas.

Thousands of Afghan families in the South Waziristan region who have been served evacuation notices by the government in the wake of the recent military operation are going back to their homeland without getting relief assistance from the UN.

Officials said that the UN agency had refused to send its field staff to the region unless its headquarters issued security clearance. Governor Iftikhar asked the UNHCR regional chief to make efforts to accelerate process of repatriation from the region and in this connection North and South Waziristan agencies must be focused on priority basis.