PESHAWAR, Dec 12: A grand Jirga of the representatives of over 1.8 million Afghan refugees in the country has linked the future voluntary repatriation plan to the security situation and provision of basic amenities including employment in their war-ravaged country.

Over 250 elders representing the Afghans residing in the makeshift camps and urban refugee centres on Thursday sought assistance from the international community to expedite the rehabilitation process in Afghanistan to pave way for a sustainable repatriation programme.

The Afghan Commissionerate, NWFP, convened the Jirga in the provincial metropolis at a local hotel regarding the repatriation of the remaining refugees in Pakistan, rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Officials claimed that 250 delegates and notables from various refugee camps in NWFP, Fata and Balochistan, representing various ethnic entities of Afghanistan, attended the day-long Jirga.

The Afghan elders were reluctant to return to their homeland owing to the fragile security situation, disputes among various warlords in some parts of the country and shortage of food and linked the future voluntary repatriation plan to proper security and provision of basic amenities including employment.

The Afghan elders, while speaking at a hurriedly called Jirga, also complained of food shortage, lack of health facilities in the refugee camps, misuse of funds by the workers of relief agencies and police harassment in Pakistan.

The visiting Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Enayatullah Nazari, UNHCR representative Hasim Uthkan, Afghan Refugees Commissioner Mushtaq Alizai and heads of various relief agencies attended the meeting of the tribal council.

Haji Mohammed Ismail, head of Faizo Camp in Balochistan, told the audience that chilly weather had killed 25 children in “waiting area” near the border town of Chaman during the last couple of days.

He was all tears when he spoke about the miseries of some 19,507 displaced Afghans who had been stranded in the “waiting area” as the Pakistan government had barred their entry in February last.

He complained that the field officers of UNHCR and other relief agencies had been informed about the food shortage and casualties in the camp, but no relief had been provided to the affected people.

UNHCR senior public information officer Jack Redden when approached by Dawn said that they received reports about casualties of minors in the area, but they were not able to confirm them.

He said that the UN agency was making arrangements for the distribution of blankets to protect the vulnerable Afghans from the freezing weather.

Another Afghan elder Engineer Ghulam Farooq came down heavily on the UNHCR and relief agencies workers for their alleged misuse of funds.

He said that instead of rehabilitation of refugees, funds were being spent on relief workers and asked the Afghan minister to look into the reported misappropriation of funds.

He added that the prevailing lawlessness in many parts of Afghanistan and the existing environment was not favourable for safe repatriation. He proposed that the transition government should extend the writ of government beyond Kabul to restore people’s confidence.

Ali Hassen Karimi, representing Hazara community said that over 1,000 displaced families, living in the Basu camp, Kurram Agency, could not return to the central Bamian province unless the UN agencies rebuild their houses and provide security. He also condemned the Iranian government’s policy regarding refugees.

Speaking at the Jirga the Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Enayatullah Nazari, told his countrymen that the situation could not be changed within a few days and the transition government was making efforts to rehabilitate the fresh returnees.

Mr Nazari said that he discussed the refugees’ problems with the Pakistani officials and he had been assured that their grievances would be resolved including the release of Afghan nationals who had been detained for petty cases.

He said that Kabul respected the Pakistani laws and would not ask for the release of those prisoners who were wanted in serious criminal cases.

The Afghan minister said that NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani had assured that his would take stern action against the police officials who harassed refugees. He said that the chief minister had made commitments that education department would be directed to provide admission in education institutions to the refugee children.

He informed the audience that Islamabad and Kabul had worked out an agreement regarding the repatriation of the remaining refugees in the country and all the registered and unregistered Afghans would return to their country within three years.