Pakistan

Refugees: Govt sets 2012 as deadline for Afghans to go home

More than 2.2 million refugees to return to Afghanistan next year, Senate told.

Zahid Gishkori April 03, 2011

ISLAMABAD:

The government has chalked out a new strategy for the repatriation of millions of Afghan refugees and set the year 2012 as the deadline for their departure from Pakistan.

More than 2.2 million Afghans will go back to their country irrespective of whether they live in registered camps, according to Minister for State and Frontier Regions Engineer Shaukatullah.

“The cabinet has approved a new repatriation policy for Afghans living in Pakistan.” The National Database Registration Authority (NADRA), Government of Afghanistan and the UNHCR are making efforts to repatriate refugees to their homeland, he told the house.

Around 44 per cent refugees are residing in 42 camps, he told lawmakers quoting official figures. Around 1.5 million registered refugees from 31 cities of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and FATA will be asked to return to their homes before the deadline, the minister said. Of the 2.153 million Afghan refugees registered by NADRA in 2006-07, 0.6 million Afghans returned to their home country last year.”

It is reported that over 0.6 million refugees have made Peshawar their home, while some 0.2 million live in Nowshera district. Some 0.5 million Afghans are residing in Balochistan. Around 0.4 million Afghan citizens live in Quetta and over 84,000 live in Pashin district, the minister informed the house in a written reply. Around 0.1 million refugees live in Sindh and over 0.2 million Afghan refugees live in Punjab, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 03^rd, 2011.

COMMENTS (3)

John | 13 years ago | Reply Refugee repatriation after such a long time is going to be a problem. As the article says, many will take Peshawar as their home. Refugees did not bring Kalashinikov culture. They are there because they were driven out by the Kalashinikov. Whether Pakistan like it or not some will voluntarily go back and some will stay behind. The Govt and people should make arrangements for both. As often in refugee camps, children are the victims. PAK gov should arrange for these children to be adopted, make laws friendly for international adoption, regardless of religious background.

Someoneclose | 13 years ago | Reply Thank god....at least that will take some of the burden away. Pakistan has more on its plate than cater to Afghan refugees. I am sure the govt. of Afghanistan should be capable of handling them at least if they call their country so 'stable' now

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