The government has decided to build up a comprehensive database of Afghans refugees in Pakistan for their voluntary repatriation. In this regard, the ministry of Safron and the UN refugee agency has already inked an agreement on the registration of Afghan citizens in Pakistan.
As part of efforts to document and manage the Afghan population, said Minister for Safron, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind while talking to APP here on Saturday. The minister further said this is a big step not just for Pakistan, but also for Afghanistan to develop policies for voluntary repatriation and manage the future of this population.
The registration (database) exercise, which would start later this year, is a follow-up to the census of Afghans in Pakistan conducted by the Pakistan government in March 2005, Sardar Rind added. He said database would include date of arrival in Pakistan, area of origin, ethnic background, obstacles to return to Afghanistan and profile in Pakistan.
In order to get a clearer individual profile of the group, the ministry of Safron will oversee the registration process to be conducted by the national database and registration authority (Nadra), however, UNHCR will help to raise the $6 million needed, provide technical assistance and monitor the exercise, the minister added.