QUETTA, March 19: The voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees to their country under the UNHCR repatriation programme has been launched in Balochistan on Wednesday.
The first group of 100 families comprising over 600 Afghan refugees, including men, women and children, left for Afghanistan in a caravan of trucks from Surkhab refugees camp, some 80 km north of here in Pishin district.
The provincial minister for information technology and social welfare, Roshan Khurshid Buracha, said farewell to the repatriating refugees near Saranan. Commissioner Afghan Refugees Organization, Brig (R) Mumtaz Ali Raja, Code Cisse Senior Field Coordinator of UNHCR, Quetta and Afghan Counsel General Quetta, Habibullah Allahyar and many other senior officials were also present on the occasion.
The repatriating Afghan refugee families started their journey at 11.30am from Surkhab camp and their caravan crossed into Afghan border town Weash around 4.30pm from Pakistani border town Chaman.
Afghan refugees mostly Uzbuks and Tajaks were happy and leaving for their homeland after spending 10 to 16 years in Pakistan.
However, some of them were new who crossed into Pakistan after Sept 11 incident, when US President Bush announced to attack Afghanistan.
These refugees were not aware of over all situation of Afghanistan and they were of the view that after the fall of the Taliban, peace was restored in their country and now they can go to their homes without any hurdle.
“I am very happy to go back to my country after long 16 years,” a 50-year-old Afghan Abdul Hakim told Dawn in Surkhab Refugee camp before his departure for Afghanistan along-with his seven-member family. “Afghanistan is peaceful now,” he remarked in Persian and added that he would restart his old business in Memonee in Faryab province.
“I spent my golden days in this huge camp. I came to Surkhab with my mother and father and now going back without them but my wife and children are with me,” Suleman Khan, a 42-year old Tajik said. He spent around 15 years in Surkhab camp and had also married in the camp.
Rozee Khan, a 45-year-old Afghan from Faryab was going back to Afghanistan with his wife and three children with the hope that he would spend his remaining life in a peaceful atmosphere.” I want peaceful life. I will educate my children in Afghanistan,” Rozee Khan said.
Habibullah sitting in a truck with his family members said that he was going back voluntarily after spending almost 20 years here. “I migrated to Pakistan with my whole family when former USSR forces entered into Afghanistan,” 55-year-old Habibullah said adding that he spent some time in Karachi in connection with his job.
“I will go back to my country and restart cultivation on my land,” Dalbar Khan an old man from Takhar said. “I do not know what is the law and order situation in Afghanistan now,” he remarked. He said that some people in the camp told him that peace was restored in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban government.
He said that he crossed into Pakistan along-with his eight-member family after US attack on Afghanistan. “I think situation is improving in Afghanistan,” he remarked.
The provincial minister Roshan Khurshid Buracha said that it was movement of happiness that Afghan refugees were going back to their country with honour and after returning they would take part in the re-building of their country. She said that Pakistan would also extend all possible help and assistance in re-construction of Afghanistan.
Afghan Consulate bases in Quetta, Hahibullah Allahyar, while committing on the occasion said that these Afghans were returning to their country after 20 long years.
He said that these people include doctors, engineers and other educated people who would play their role in re-building of their country.