PESHAWAR, Oct 13: Most Afghan refugees living in the Jalozai camp, who have been asked by authorities to leave by March, are reluctant to go to Afghanistan. Instead, they are slipping into other parts of the NWFP, interviews with some refugees reveal.

Ms Zakira — who hails from the Kunar province of Afghanistan and teaches at a primary school in Jalozai — told Dawn that in August when many Frontier Constabulary personnel had surrounded the camp to force its closure, she and her family members had moved to the Kombo area, in the outskirts of Peshawar, and had rented a house there.

“We could not afford to live there for more than a month and after the deadline for repatriation was extended till the spring, we came back to the camp,” said 19-year-old Zakira.

“But I am not sure if we will be leaving (Pakistan). If we are given a choice, we will prefer to live here rather than in Afghanistan,” Ms Zakira, who was born in the camp and had visited Afghanistan a few months ago, said while comparing life in an Afghan city and a refugee camp in Pakistan.

“There is no security for school-going girls and working women in Afghanistan so we don’t want to go back,” she added.

Many Afghan families living in the refugee camp are poor and have no land or any other means to start a decent life in Afghanistan. Several people told this correspondent that if they went back to their country, they would have to live without facilities like running water, electricity and shelter.

Many families have already moved to various areas of the NWFP instead of going to Afghanistan and the remaining refugees too wish to live here.

Girls’ education and jobs was a risky business as the Taliban in Afghanistan opposed it. Security situation in Afghanistan is discouraging them not to go back and forcing them to move to other villages and cities in Pakistan, some refugees said.

“We feel safe here. We don’t feel safe in Afghanistan. We can’t even work there. It is much better to live here,” said Nazeefa, 20, another refugee who studies in an educational institution in Peshawar.

“I don’t think anybody is ready to go to Afghanistan because of the security and economic conditions there,” she said. Many refugees said they wanted to live in Pakistan till a complete peace was restored in Afghanistan.

Clarifying their position, many refugees said they did want to go to Afghanistan but the poor security situation stopped them from doing so. “Don’t take us wrong. We do love our country, but it’s too dangerous to live there.”