Ambitious survey: 30 years on, govt starts counting Afghan DPs

Data from the survey will inform Pakistan’s Afghan management and repatriation strategy.

ISLAMABAD:

An ambitious project to survey the world’s largest refugee population has been launched by the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, and the government of Pakistan, according to a press release.

The survey aims to capture extensive information on the challenges faced by the two million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, as well as their contribution to the country’s economy, the press release says, adding that by responding to questions on their livelihood, health, social conditions, legal and other issues, Afghan refugees will have the opportunity to influence government policy and programmes designed to manage the refugee situation.

The Population Profiling Verification and Response (PPVR) survey is being carried out by UNHCR. Following a trial phase last year, the survey was formally rolled out recently with survey teams going door to door in 25 districts across Pakistan. It will continue until the end of 2011, by which time several hundred thousand Afghans are expected to have taken part.

Two-member male and female teams are going door to door, collecting information on Afghan households and communities in cities, rural areas and camps.

The data is collected and entered in the field through laptop computers, said Khawar Khan Mohmand, an assistant project manager.

“This is an important chance for Afghans to let policymakers know about their current concerns, their plans for the future and contributions they are making to their host country,” said Maya Ameratunga, UNHCR’s deputy representative in Pakistan.

The data gathered in the survey will inform the Pakistan government’s Afghan Management and Repatriation strategy, which will introduce alternative stay arrangements for Afghans in Pakistan, such as visas and permits, by the end of 2012, the press release added.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2011.