LAHORE, Dec 24: The return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan will begin in phases soon after the situation becomes normal in their homeland, it is learnt.
Official sources say that the government will start the process under a programme to be launched with the support of the United Nations Human Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other donor agencies. Almost everything is ready in this regard, they claim, saying that: “We are waiting for the situation to normalize in Afghanistan.”
Thousands of mines laid during the US-Afghan war in Afghanistan are the biggest hurdle in the way of the Afghan refugees, the sources say, arguing that their return cannot be forced. They link peace, political and economical stability in Afghanistan to the return of the refugees.
Statistics before the US-Afghan war show that there are over 2.2 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The number was over four million during the Soviet-Afghan war. In an earlier process of returning the Afghans to their native country, some 1.8 million were sent back.
Of the total refugees, some 325,000 are in the Punjab. Of them, some 45,000 are in the only refugee camp of the Punjab based in Mianwali and the rest are settled in different localities of the province.
Punjab Commissioner for Afghan Refugees Sarfrazulhaq Beg told Dawnthat no statistics were available for those Afghans who entered Pakistan in the US-Afghan war. As far as the Punjab was concerned, he claimed, they could not enter here in large numbers in the fresh influx.
Mr Beg said that the government efforts to stop the refugees on the Pakistan-Afghan border had yielded positive results. Right now, he added, all focus of the government was on the borders.
Quoting decision of a federal cabinet meeting in the recent days, Mr Beg said that the government had decided in principle not to set up any more camps for refugees anywhere in the country.
The commissioner said that the government had set up some 35 camps on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghan border to keep refugees there. However, he admitted that the refugees also succeeded in entering Pakistan and most of them had got shelter in the NWFP and Balochistan.
Mr Beg said: “The increasing number of the refugees are a burden on our resources as they enjoy share all basic facilities. He, however, hoped that the government would be able to tackle the problem by initiating their return to their homeland . Explaining the programme, the official sources say that the process will begin from 35 camps located on the border. Later, the refugee camps of the NWFP and Balochistan will be included in the process, they maintain, saying: “The Punjab will be the last in the process.”
Sending refugees who are living outside these camps is a difficult task, they say, adding that volunteers among them will be earmarked for return. Later, they claim that the rest of the refugees will be located and convinced to leave Pakistan.
Under an incentive-based programme, the sources say that a motivation plan will be launched to convince the refugees to return to their country before formally initiating the return process. They will also be given incentives like monetary benefits in the shape of wheat, clothes and other daily use items.
For this purpose, the sources say that the government will launch advocacy-based programmes with the help of the UNHCR and other aid agencies. The government and the agencies will also help Afghans tackle different problems in their resettlement.
On the other hand, a fresh lot of refugees was seen when this reporter visited different cities of the Punjab last week. The fresh refugees were seen in small cities especially in areas on the Punjab-NWFP border. Areas like Sargodha, Mianwali, Bhakkar, Layyah and Kotaddu received a large number of refugees.