PESHAWAR, May 5: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees’ (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie on Thursday visited an old refugee camp and a voluntary repatriation centre near Peshawar to look into the problems of destitute Afghans.

Covering her head with dark-blue traditional chaddar, she spent about an hour in the sprawling Kacha Garhi camp, one of the oldest refugee settlements in Pakistan.

She made an extensive visit to the camp and moved around dusty streets and mud-houses. She talked to the women inside their houses and inquired about their problems.

Earlier, she visited, amid strict security arrangements, Iris verification centre at Hayatabad near Khyber Agency where she inspected various sections of the centre.

Senior representatives of the UN agency and Commissionerate for the Afghan Refugees (CAR) briefed the UNHCR ambassador on the facilities being provided to the Afghans who return to their homeland.

“Allow the mom to go into the centre”, the Oscar-winning actress asked the security personnel who pushed an Afghan woman trying to enter the building. She had earlier visited Jalozai refugee camp in 2001.

A minor child had been killed in the verification centre when roof of a shelter room collapsed a few days back.

The Hollywood star talked to the women and children who were waiting at the centre for verification of their credentials before proceeding to Afghanistan.

Officials said that the ambassador also visited a small settlement of the Afghan refugees near Attock on her way to Peshawar and inspected a hand-knit carpet centre and health care centre.

Despite large scale repatriation after fall of the Taliban government in 2001, Pakistan still shelters around three million Afghans in registered camps and urban areas.