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Thursday, June 20, 2013
UNHCR wants more time for repatriation of Afghan refugeesISLAMABAD: United Nations Refugees Agency (UNHCR) has stared negotiation with the government of Pakistan for extending the deadline of June 30 for repatriation of Afghan refugees currently living in the country. Speaking to media, UNHCR Public Information Officer Duniya Aslam Khan said 1.6 million registered Afghan refugees are taking shelter in Pakistan and government has extended their proof of registration cards till June 30 but it is not possible to resettle all of them till this date. In connection with World Refugees Day, she said a real time frame of at least two to three years is needed for establishing a long-lasting resettlement plan agreeable to all groups settled in Afghanistan and the neighbouring countries. She further informed that after 2002, when volunteer repatriation of Afghan refugees started, around 3.8 million people have went back to their native towns and during this year from January almost 18000 refugees left for Afghanistan. Further, she informed that Pakistan is currently hosting 81 Afghan Refugees camps, including 70 in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, 10 in Balochistan and one in Punjab. The World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations to honour the courage, strength and determination of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. This year the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, continues its award-winning campaign with its first ever personal fund raising site, which asks the visitors to take a minute to support a family forced to flee. app
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk