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PESHAWAR, July 18: The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has decided to close one of its three voluntary repatriation centres in the Frontier province and the adjacent Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), owing to a considerable fall in the number returnees to Afghanistan.
“The Azakhel repatriation centre and four referral teams will stop functioning by the end of July,” an official of the refugee agency confirmed here on Thursday.
The official said the number of returnees had dropped and every day about 250 refugee families were approaching the Azakhel centre near Peshawar for voluntary repatriation whereas the centre had a capacity of registering 1,000 families a day.
He said that after July 30 the returnees would have to register themselves at the voluntary repatriation centre in Takhta Baig, Khyber Agency.
The Nawa Pass centre, Bajaur Agency and Takhta Baig would continue operational activities.
RELIEF GOODS: The ministry of State and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) has directed the relief agencies and Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CAR) to inscribe all export items to Afghanistan with Pak-Afghan Friendship label.
A letter issued to the relief agencies and the Afghan commissionerates on July 22 said that all packaging of any aid for Afghanistan must carry a label “Pakistan-Afghan Friendship”.
An official of the commissionerate said the instructions had been issued to promote bilateral relations between the two neighbouring countries.
