ISLAMABAD, Jan 4: The World Food Programme (WFP), under its emergency operations, will provide food assistance worth $23.9 million to 288,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan through its implementing partner NGOs.

According to a press release, a Letter of Understanding (LoU) to this effect was signed between the WFP representative in Pakistan, German Validivia, and Kashmir affairs ministry Mohammad Javed Ashraf Hussain on Saturday.

The food ration is for those people who are residing in 16 refugee camps in the NWFP and Balochistan, for the period, December 1, 2002 to November 30, 2003. The secretary said these camps were established to accommodate those refugees who came to the country after 9/11.

The food will be distributed among the refugees through local and international

NGOs under the supervision of the Afghan refugees commissioner for Balochistan and the NWFP.

The secretary said a tripartite agreement was to be signed soon for repatriation of Afghan refugees.

The WFP assistance consist of 64,665 metric tons of food, comprising of wheat, pulses, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, etc. “We are urgently seeking donors’ support for this operation,” Mr Validivia said.

“The refugees are almost totally dependent on the international community for their subsistence, so fresh pledges are needed immediately.”

The chief commissioner Afghanistan Refugees, commissioner Afghan Refugees NWFP and Balochistan, representatives of the World Food Programme and other agencies also attended the LoU-signing ceremony.