PESHAWAR, Aug 4: NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai has said interests of repatriated Afghan refugees should be taken care of in their homeland, otherwise they will attempt to return to Pakistan.

He was talking to UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner Judy Cheng-Hopkins who called on him at the Governor’s House on Saturday. The two discussed matters relating to repatriation of Afghans from the Frontier province, said a handout.

The governor underlined the need for ensuring proper rehabilitation of the refugees in their homeland. Apart from lack of infrastructure facilities, he said, the refugees might face social problems and law and order issues when they return home. He said efforts should be made to protect the refugees’ interests in Afghanistan. Otherwise, he said, they could return back to Pakistan, turning the whole exercise into a futile one.

Meanwhile, talking to journalists, Ms Hopkins said the situation in Afghanistan was not favourable to absorb a large number of Afghans returning from Pakistan. She said about five millions Afghans had been repatriated from Pakistan and Iran since 2002 and the remaining three million in the two countries would be sent home gradually. Chief commissioner of Afghan Refugees Abdur Rauf Khan was also present.

Ms Hopkins said that despite renewal of the agreement governing voluntary repatriation of registered refugees from Pakistan, Islamabad was committed to gradual return of the remaining two million Afghans on its territory.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UNHCR renewed the agreement in Islamabad on Aug 2 to extend the voluntary repatriation process to December 2009.

Ms Hopkins said a major hurdle in the voluntary repatriation of the refugees was making up their minds to return to their homeland. She expressed satisfaction over the closure of the Kacha Garhi camp in Peshawar.

Earlier, she visited the Jalozai camp near Peshawar and met refugees. The camp will be wound up by Aug 31.

The UN official, on the last leg of her regional visit, proceeded to Iran to discuss issues pertaining to the repatriation of Afghan refugees.