MIANWALI, June 26: At least 2,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Kot Chanda refugee camp, Mianwali district, during the last three months. For the verification purpose, a team from Islamabad visits the refugee camp every week and after its clearance the refugees along with their luggage are repatriated by trucks.

According to Kot Chanda refugee camp administrator Muhammad Farooq Hashmi, around 34,000 refugees were camped in the Mianwali district. Among them, 18,264 were residing in the district’s only refugee camp while the rest were scattered and earning their livelihood in different parts of the district. However, they were being monitored by the Free Legal Aid for Afghan Refugees.

As of now, he said some 1,000 Afghans from the Kot Chanda camp and a similar number of Afghans from other parts of the district had been repatriated.

Mr Hashmi further said the repatriation had been started after an agreement between Afghanistan, Pakistan governments and the UNHCR. Under this agreement refugees returning home before March 2006 would be provided free transportation and other facilities.

A few days ago, UNHCR programme officer Miss Kristine visited the Mianwali camp, met various chieftains of Afghan tribes and briefed them about the UN policy besides asking them to return home.

It may be mentioned that all donor countries providing financial aid to the UNHCR through the UN for Afghan refugees had stopped their donations in 1995. Since then all refugees residing in various camps in Pakistan are forced to work at different cities and towns to earn their livelihood.

The Afghan refugee camp at Kot Chanda was established in 1982 and a generation grown up here is facing hardships to return to their war-ridden country.

Moreover, these youngsters are used to local language and do not want to go to the country of their ancestors.