In the Tripartite Commission's meeting, delegations from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and UNHCR continued their discussions on the future of some 1.66 million Afghan refugees presently living in Pakistan, said a press release of International Refugees Agency here on Friday.
With the present Tripartite Agreement due to expire at the end of this year, all parties agree that the voluntary repatriation process, through an agreed mechanism, was vital for those vulnerable people. Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Jamahir Anwary, briefed the delegations on the progress already made in the four months since the endorsement of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees in Geneva in May 2012.
Pakistan Minister for States and Frontier Regions, Shaukat Ullah, informed that his Ministry was presently holding inter-ministerial deliberations, reviewing options for the future national policy for Afghan refugees, which would be considered shortly by his government.
The delegations expressed optimism that their respective governments would favourably review the recommendations drawn up by this meeting. With the expiration of Tripartite Agreement on December 31, along with the validity of the Proof of Registration (PoR) cards held by Afghan refugees in Pakistan, UNHCR supported an extension to the Agreement to ensure ongoing protection for Afghan refugees, stated Neill Wright, UNHCR Representative in Islamabad who chaired the Tripartite Commission meeting.
"We are at a critical and challenging juncture. Never before, in the past 30 years, has UNHCR - and the international community - faced such a serious challenge in safeguarding the well-being of these Afghan refugees," said Wright. The meeting between the three parties came just before the first Quadripartite Steering Committee meeting to be held in Geneva on October 3, at which progress on the implementation of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan refugees would be reviewed.