PESHAWAR, Sept 6: Some 252 high qualified Afghan nationals have returned to their homeland and have been working either in the government departments or non-government organization since the “Return of Qualified Afghan programme” launched by International Organization for Migration.

The RQA programme was launched by the IOM in December 2001 with an aim to boost rehabilitation efforts in Afghanistan through progressive transfer of know-how of Afghan expatriate professionals to their country.

The RQA, being funded by the Department for International Development and Swedish International Development Agency, has so far succeeded in repatriating and placing 252 high qualified expatriates in key positions within the Afghan transitional administration as well as UN agencies, international and local NGOs.

Since the start of the RQA programme, a total of 5,937 applicants have been received, out of which 252 have been returned so far. Among the returnees, included 189 from Pakistan and 63 from other countries. Among the total returned qualified Afghans, 127 have been working in 17 ministries and 125 in 37 different NGOs.

The RQA programme has been contributing to the reconstruction efforts in the war-ravaged country. In the wake of the success of RQA programme, the IOM has expanded its database activities to additional locations hosting large number of Afghan refugees in Central Asia, Middle East, Australia, Europe and North America. The RQA has so far received 5,822 applications from these countries which are being processed.

The database includes profile, competency, contacts and terms and conditions of availability of qualified and skilled Afghans willing to return and contribute to the socio-economic recovery of Afghanistan.

The basic requirement for the Afghans applying under the RQA programme is that all the qualified Afghan nationals residing abroad, bearing documents which prove their academic qualifications of at least bachelor degree or university diploma are required to fill the RQA form. The RQA, however, does not guarantee jobs for the successful applicants as it is largely depends on the employers in Afghanistan. Moreover, if an candidate returns to Afghanistan without his/her employer signing a contract with IOM, he/she does not stand entitle to the benefits offered by the IOM.