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UNHCR and Government of Pakistan brief donors on search for solution to Afghan presence

March 16, 2005

ISLAMABAD, 16 March (UNHCR) - The UN Refugee Agency and the Government of Pakistan, represented by Sajid Hussain Chattha, Secretary States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), briefed representatives of key donors on Wednesday about their plans to work together toward a comprehensive solution for Afghans living in Pakistan.

The meeting followed a census throughout the country that will provide the first definitive numbers and profile of the Afghan citizens living in Pakistan. The information will be released after the government's Census Population Organisation has finished checking the data and consulted other government departments and UNHCR. "With the census of Afghans in Pakistan completed, it is anticipated that the results of this exercise will guide the discussions toward identifying management arrangements for the Afghan population that will be in Pakistan at the end of the Tripartite Agreement in Mach 2006," said Guenet Guebre-Christos, UNHCR representative in Pakistan.

UNHCR Country Representative, Guenet Guebre-Christos and States & Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Secretary, Sajid Hussain Chattha briefing the donors. © UNHCR/A. Shahzad

While repatriation - carried out under a Tripartite Agreement grouping UNHCR and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan that expires in March 2006 - remains the preferred solution for Afghans in Pakistan, a substantial number are expected to still be here in a year.

Ms Guebre-Christos said the convening this month of a Federal Inter-ministerial Task Force to work on future policy was an important step and praised the government's continuing involvement of other actors, including UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and donor nations.

The briefing comes in the wake of a meeting between Pakistan and donor nations in Brussels in which key areas needing support were identified: continuing international aid for Afghanistan so it can absorb returnees; rehabilitation of areas in Pakistan that were affected by the presence of refugees; and assistance to communities in Pakistan that are hosting Afghans.

Mr Chattha, Secretary of SAFRON, the ministry dealing with Afghan refugees, reviewed the key conclusions of the Brussels meeting and emphasised Pakistan's support for voluntary repatriation. He said he was currently meeting with members of UNHCR's Afghan Comprehensive Solutions Unit (ACSU) about future policy.

"The census and registration will help determine the profile of Afghans in Pakistan," said Mr Chattha. "Pakistan is fully committed and supports the ACSU initiative and will work in close coordination with UNHCR to find viable solutions."

Mr Chattha noted the importance of international assistance to Afghanistan to develop areas where refugees could return from Pakistan, especially the southern and southeastern provinces where the majority of remaining Afghans in Pakistan originated.

"The development and rehabilitation of refugee-impacted areas is also a matter of concern," he told donor representatives. "Pakistan alone cannot afford to rehabilitate the impacted areas because of its own resource constraints. But will count on a sustained and deepened international engagement to support efforts being deployed by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations."