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| November 27, 2005 | Sunday | Shawwal 24, 1426 |
Afghan DPs seek one-year extension: Repatriation from Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Nov 26: Elders in various Afghan refugee camps have sought a one-year extension of stay in Pakistan, citing unemployment and lack of shelter in Afghanistan. Elders of the Kacha Garhi and Jallozai camps, who called on UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres here on Friday evening, said the situation in Afghanistan was unstable and people were facing problems of shelter and unemployment.
They said that a large number of Afghans, who had been living in Pakistan for 25 years, could not go back to their homeland in the prevailing situation.
The Afghan elders urged the UN agency chief to convince Islamabad to prolong their stay for a year.
The request was made in the wake of reports that the government would abolish the Kacha Garhi and Jallozai camps next year.
Officials said the UNHCR chief had assured the refugees that the Pakistan government would not send them back to their country forcefully.
Meanwhile, NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman has urged the international community to mobilise their resources to ensure the repatriation of Afghan refugees.
The governor was talking to the UNHCR chief who called on him at the Governor’s House here on Saturday.
The federal minister for Safron, Sardar Yar Muhammad Khan Rind, was present on the occasion.
Mr Guterres while expressing solidarity and sympathies with the people of Pakistan in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, assured the governor of his organization’s support to mitigate the sufferings of the survivors.
About the repatriation of the Afghan refugees, the governor said voluntary repatriation had picked up momentum in the recent past, but it was not up to the mark.
He said the international community must help create a conducive environment for the repatriation process.
The governor informed the UN officials that Pakistan’s problems had become complex with the passage of time. A new generation of Afghans had become business partners of Peshawar and its surrounding areas in 27 years. The pressure on our resources, especially road networks, parks, petty business, transport and labour force had been increased, he said.
At this stage any durable agreement hads become more difficult, he said, adding that the Pakistani authorities would not push the refugees into Afghanistan, as they did not want to lose the goodwill of their neighbour.
The UN officer on the occasion said: “We are friends and partners in this whole operation throughout and shall remain so in future as well.”
The UNHCR, he said, was committed to the repatriation of Afghan refugees, but with dignity and a sense of security. At the same time, he added, the UN body was fully alive to security concerns of Pakistan.
The vital interest of Pakistan’s security shall be fully protected, the UNHCR’s chief said.
The UN official agreed that the repatriation of Afghan refugees was a complex issue and it needed to be dealt with a lot of common sense.
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