ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Pakistan have launched a joint appeal to raise $135 million for rehabilitation and development of areas where Afghan refugees had lived for a long time.

Donations received in response to this appeal would be used for development of basic infrastructure in the NWFP and Balochistan, UNHCR spokesman told Dawn.

He said that basic services in health, education, water and sanitation would be upgraded in the affected areas.

The pilot project, ‘Refugee affected and hosting areas’, will be implemented as a joint programme in the two provinces.

An accord to launch the initiative was reached during a three-day visit by UNHCR chief Antonio Guterres who had arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday.

During his stay, Mr Guterres met Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, Minister of States and Frontier Regions Najamuddin Khan and senior officials of the ministries of interior and foreign affairs.

He also met representatives of European Union and G-8 countries in Islamabad who pledged support for the appeal.

Under another agreement the UNHCR will revise the repatriation plan for Afghan refugees who will be allowed to stay in the country beyond 2009.Pakistan had earlier set the 2009 deadline for all registered Afghan nationals to return to their country and said that beyond the year their stay in Pakistan would be considered illegal.

The two sides agreed that improvement in the situation in Afghanistan was imperative for repatriation.

The high commissioner informed the government that an international conference on return and reintegration of Afghan refugees would be held in Kabul in November this year.

On the request of Pakistan, the high commissioner assured UNHCR’s support for people displaced by the ongoing operation in Swat and Bajaur.