August 03, 2007	Friday	Rajab 18, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Aug 2: Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on Thursday extended for three years the tripartite agreement governing voluntary repatriation of registered Afghans from Pakistan.

Minister for States and Frontier Regions Yar Mohammad Rind, Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Mohammad Akbar and Assistant UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ms Judy Cheng-Hopkins signed the agreement.

The tripartite accord provides the legal and operational framework for the voluntary repatriation of Afghans. Since 2002, more than 3 million Afghans have returned under the voluntary repatriation programme. There are approximately 2.05 million registered Afghans remaining in Pakistan.

Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins welcomed the renewal of the agreement. “I am delighted at the spirit of cooperation in which Afghanistan and Pakistan have been discussing this issue and have renewed the agreement. By doing so they have again recognised and have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to the principles of voluntary, gradual and sustainable returns that are enshrined in the agreement,” she said after signing the agreement.

The UNHCR official is currently on a 10-day visit to the region. On the first leg of the visit, she went to Afghanistan where she discussed issues related to more than 4 million Afghans who have returned home so far. She also plans to visit Iran.

Speaking on the occasion, Afghan minister Mohammad Akbar said: “I am very grateful for the exceptional generosity that has been shown by Pakistan in hosting Afghan refugees, many of whom have stayed for more than two decades. However, the road to reconstruction, security and peace is a long one, hence the importance of this agreement on voluntary and gradual returns.”

Yar Mohammad Rind stressed that Pakistan had remained a generous host for Afghans for over 25 years.

“The government and people of Pakistan now feel it is about time that Afghan refugees repatriated to their homeland in dignity and with honour to play an important and pivotal role in the reconstruction of their country,” the minister said.

“Keeping in view the prevailing situation in Afghanistan, the Pakistan government has devised a three-year repatriation strategy that corresponds to the validity of the proof of registration cards,” the minister added.

He urged the international community to honour their commitments for the reconstruction of Afghanistan to ensure sustainable repatriation and share the burden with Pakistan for hosting the refugees.

A tripartite commission formed under the agreement meets three times a year to discuss and review issues related to the stay of Afghans in Pakistan and their voluntary repatriation.