QUETTA, July 14: The UNHCR in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a new relief package for Afghan refugees who are living in Balochistan and willing to repatriate before Sept 1, to contribute to the national building process.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club on Monday, Mr Indrika Ratwatte, coordinator of the UNCHR repatriation programme in Pakistan, stated that all sectoral assistance (food, water, health, education, sanitation, and community service) in all new camps of Chaman, Mohammadkhel, and Laitabad would end by Sept 1.

Media consultant Jack Redden, emergency officer Yvanstrum and UNCHR PRO Babar Baloch were also present on the occasion. Mr Ratwatte stated that refugees repatriating from the camps established after the Sept 11 attacks would receive an enhanced repatriation package of food and non-food items inside Afghanistan.

He said families going back in July would receive food ration from the WFP for July and August, 2004. But those willing to repatriate in August would be entitled to receive it only for August.

The representative stated that UNCHR teams would be visiting respective camps to provide detailed information and facilitate repatriation. In reply to a question, Mr Ratwatte said that presently 1.1 million refugees were still in the camps, and outside these facilities, the Pakistan government estimated that about two million refugees were residing in different areas of the country.

The Pakistan government, he said, was interested that the UNHCR should itself carry out a census of the Afghan refugees outside the camps to ascertain real figures. Answering a question, he claimed that a majority of Afghan refugees were returning to their homeland.

They were inclined to participate in the national polls for president and parliament, he added. The positive trend in the repatriation process, he said, was that now refugees were going to rural areas instead of cities. Previously, people were interested to settle in Kabul to get jobs in the federal capital.