SWABI, Nov 10: Afghan refugees living in the district should return to their country after the re-election of President Hamid Karzai .

This was stated by Swabi Nazim Jehan Zeb Khan and members of the district council here on Wednesday. There was no justification for the displaced people to stay here any more they said.

Mr Khan said the refugees had been enjoying the hospitality of local Pukhtuns for over two decades since the occupation of their country by the former Soviet Union. But now their land was free, and they should voluntarily return to their homeland, he added.

"Now international agencies have already stopped financial assistance for them and they have become a burden for the weak economy of the district," said Mr Khan.

The members of the district council said that now the Afghan refugees should play their due role in the construction of their country, and added that it would be possible only when they returned to their motherland.

At present, they said, the voluntary repatriation was in full swing and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had been assisting the DPs.

Some members said Afghans refugees were involved in various illegal activities across the country and created law and order problems, which badly affected the local society.

Many refugees, they said, had built their houses and strengthened their business here and, therefore, they refused to leave for Afghanistan. They termed this approach very dangerous.

They said the Americans had always used refugees as their tools for the fulfilment of their designs, and theywere doing the same in the case of Afghanistan.

They called for Afghan unity and stressed the need for the refugees to play their due role in the construction and strengthening of their war-ravaged country.

There are about 30,000-40,000 DPs in the district. Majority of them is living in Gohati and Gandap camps, but a great chunk of them also scattered across the district.