Sweet sojourn: For some Afghans, repatriation is out of question

Sources reveal the financially strong are more at ease in Pakistan.

HARIPUR:

As the deadline for repatriation of Afghan refugees approaches, many seem reluctant to retreat to their home country - particularly those who have established businesses and investments in local markets. They feel it may not be feasible for Pakistan to implement the repatriation process for a host of reasons.

“Forcing us out of the country would be tantamount to creating a law and order situation in the region, which is already plagued by terrorism,” said an Afghan refugee, requesting anonymity. He said that since the refugees have been supporting the local economy since their arrival in Pakistan, the government “must reconsider its decision”.

“How it is possible for us to wind up and leave when we have large investments here [in Pakistan],” said Khaksar Khan, who runs a mobile business in Hazara. Although vexed by the decision, Khaksar said he is hopeful that the government will “find a way for us to stay”.

But what Khaksar is envisaging, an Afghan medical practitioner, Dr Badshah Khan, claims is already in place.

Badshah said the Pakistan government has devised a policy whereby registered Afghan refugees with investments worth Rs5 million will be granted citizenship, while those unregistered but meeting the investment criteria will be issued Computerised National Identity Cards.

However, this information was not endorsed by any official in the Afghan Directorate at Haripur.

Under a tripartite agreement last year, the UN Refugee Agency, the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan extended the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan till December 31, 2012, offering $150 per individual of each family leaving for Afghanistan voluntarily.

Official sources maintained that while a large number of families have crossed the Torkham border and repatriated to Afghanistan, those who are financially strong are least bothered about the exodus.

“Those who repatriated under the scheme were mainly daily wage earners and poverty-stricken families. They lived in rented houses or camps,” said an official, adding that even the government also did not seem interested in repatriating the refugees owing to “international pressures”.

According to the data gathered from the office of Hazara District Administrator Afghan refugees Syed Javed Shah, only 333 families have so far repatriated voluntarily from January to October. The ratio is likely to drop further as the weather would turn chilly with expected snowfall in Afghanistan within two weeks.

Sources privy to population of Afghan refugees in Haripur quote d last month’s survey, saying there are 22,012 registered families in Haripur alone, while over 2,600 families are using the resources of the district without being registered.

When contacted, Shah said that he was unaware of the government’s decision pertaining to voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees beyond December 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2012.