United Nations High Commission for Refugees will resume voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees in Balochistan from March 15 for which all necessary arrangements have been made.
Ms Guenet Gebre Christos, the newly appointed country representative of UNHCR in Pakistan said at a press conference here on Friday.
She said UNHCR is supposed to repatriate 0.4 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan including 0.2 million from Balochistan by the end of current calendar year.
Another 0.5 million refugees would be repatriated from Iran this year," she added.
"We had planned to resume repatriation process from NWFP and Balochistan simultaneously from March 2, but had to delay it in Balochistan due to tragic incident occurred in the provincial capital on Ashura day," she informed.
She said there are 0.3 million Afghan DPs residing in various camps in Balochistan while according to official information another 0.7 million refugees are living in urban areas.
Ms Guenet said the time period fixed for voluntary repatriation of Afghan DPs in the Tripartite Agreement signed among Pakistan, Afghanistan and UNHCR could be extended after its expiry in March 2006 to ensure return of remaining refugees to their homeland from Pakistan.
UNHCR and Pakistan government are also discussing the matter to start registration of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, but so far no decision has been taken in this regard, she said adding that a committee has been set up to consider the matter.
"Pakistan government will decide the date for commencing registration of DPs," she said and added that the fund for the purpose would be solicited from international donor agencies.
"Besides, resuming the voluntary repatriation process, we are also working on relocation of refugee camps from tribal areas to some other appropriate sites in the country as decided by Pakistan government," she informed.
She said all concerned parties are running the Tripartite Agreement with complete co-ordination and co-operation and so far there has come no major problem that could affect its working or implementation. The UNHCR Chief said that all the refugees over six years of age going back to Afghanistan would undergo Iris Verification Test for which some machines have been installed in Baleli Repatriation Center in Kuchlak. A few mobile teams have also been deputed in urban areas for the purpose, she added.
About security problems in Afghanistan, she said UNHCR has nothing to do with it.
"Each Afghan individual willing to return to Afghanistan has to decide by himself whether the situation in his country is favourable for him or not" she observed.
"The situation in Afghanistan is however improving rapidly and is likely to improve more in future," she hoped. She said UNHCR is also assisting the Afghan government in providing basic life amenities to Afghan DPs.
Provincial Head of the Organisation Kwame Boafo and public relation officer Babar Baloch were also present on the occasion.
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