ISLAMABAD: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) unveiled a new strategy on Sunday, in order to help Pakistan repatriate 150,000 Afghan refugees during the current year.
Four Voluntary Repatriation Centres (VRCs), which will remain operational throughout the year, have already been established in this regard to help expedite the whole process, said UNHCR’s Representative in Pakistan Neil Wright.
Wright also called for further assistance to the host countries, commending Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan for their initiatives, adding that the joint efforts will go a long way in resolving the long-standing predicament.
Ministry of states and Frontier Regions (Safron) and the UNHCR plan to implement a new strategy, aimed at supporting repatriation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
“The new strategy contains measures aimed at supporting refugees, and is tailored towards the specific needs of each of the three countries involved,” he said.
“In Pakistan, the focus is geared more towards voluntary repatriation, in addition to helping the host communities,” he remarked.
“At a time when countries are closing their doors upon those who are fleeing persecution, the generosity of the people and the government of Pakistan towards Afghan refugees deserves greater recognition,” he pointed out.
The strategy also seeks the commitment of the international community to support host countries.
The measures aim to preserve asylum space for the Afghan refugees in neighbouring countries, over the next three years, in addition to supporting sustainable reintegration for those who return home.
The process will be entirely voluntary and every refugee who opts to return will be helped by the UNHCR to formulate a well informed decision.
Afghan refugees remain sceptical of a swift return, as the security situation in Afghanistan is not at all favourable.
The final decision is based on weeks of deliberation, while an extensive network of friends and family apprise the refugees of the security situation on ground.
Afghan refugees constitute the largest and the longest-standing refugee situation in UNHCR’s history.
In the year 2011 alone, around 70,000 Afghan refugees returned home.
There still exist around 1.7 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, while another one million are undocumented for.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2012.
COMMENTS (4)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
well i agree with wajahat,, yeah afghan should repatriate. until they are here, afghanistan will never starts getting better. the situation will remain the same till doom day, a house needs its family to be called a house, Afghanistan needs afghan to be called afghanistan. paki govt is not going to send them by force as most of the afghan had expreianced it. but still its time for them to start thinking about repatriation, yeah we accept that they have spent many years of their life in Pakistan and it seems to be their 2nd home, but what about the first one? will they let it in hands of invaders? or do they have to take some steps to support their mother land?
In my opinion we are living in the world of systems, where we have to follow some system. Afghan refugees should repatriate from Pakistan and come back to Pakistan with dignity by holding their passports in there hands as we practice for visit to Afghanistan. There motherland needs their services, now its time to pay there debts. They are our good neighbour and we respect them.
Afghan refugees (documented 1.7million n un-documented would be double of this) repatriation needs to be speed up. Question of Reintegration does not arise, Afghanistan is their own country n during these years refugees are travelling back n forth, so UNHCR should not make this as an excuse. From last twenty plus years security situation within Afghanistan is same n based upon ground realities expectation of any drastic change won't be in the near future. Financially, Afghanistan is receiving more than enough funds from international community that it shouldnt be seen a problem. Pakistan cannot be held hostage for western adventure. It's not only has been a financial burden but it has turn into militarism, created gun culture, destroying local culture, security of the state has become a problem. These refugees must leave ASAP.