Helping Afghan refugees return home

3.7 million Afghans have gone back to their country from Pakistan since 2002.

PESHAWAR:

The need to implement a strategy for the repatriation of Afghan refugees came under discussion on Thursday between the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CAR), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), ministries and other provincial authorities.

The strategy, which was approved by the cabinet last year, offers to examine an optional legal stay for registered Afghans, while simultaneously enhancing voluntary returns and dealing with undocumented migrants.

The discussions involved the ministries of State and Frontier Regions of Pakistan (SAFRON) and Information, Law and Social Welfare, among other Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial authorites.

The ministry of SAFRON and UNHCR have been working closely to find ways to implement the strategy, according to a press release. The UNHCR stressed that a successful implementation strategy will help the proatracted refugee situation, but it is only possible with the full support of the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as the international community.

Earlier this year, the government established five provincial sub-level committees with well-defined roles and responsibilities to manage the repatriation process. The committees include one on repatriation and reintegration, as well as bilateral/trilateral consultations. Another will deal with visas and legal residence considerations. The third will work on border management while the fourth committee will deal with protection and third country resettlement. The last one will oversee security and legal channels for registration.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2011.