UNHCR Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, 25 Feb (UNHCR) - The UN Refugee Agency on 2 March will resume its voluntary repatriation programme to assist Afghan refugees wishing to return from Pakistan to Afghanistan, using offices in key cities and mobile teams.

All returning refugees over the age of six years - regardless of which city they start from -- will pass through the Iris Verification Centres (IVC) in Peshawar and Quetta to ensure they have not previously gone through the centres and received assistance.

Refugees in cities other than Peshawar and Quetta will go to local centres listed below where they will receive Pre-Registration Forms (PRF) and Voluntary Repatriation Forms (VRF) before proceeding through the IVC's.

Refugees in Peshawar will directly approach the Departure Centre, which also houses the IVC. Refugees in Quetta will go first to Scheduling Centres, before proceeding to the Departure Centre and IVC. Address are printed below.

Refugees in camps wishing to repatriate will notify UNHCR field staff or the Refugee Village Administrator (RVA) working for the Commissionerate of Refugees (CAR); they will then be visited by a UNHCR mobile team who will issue them with a PRF and a VRF. They will then proceed to the IVC.

Instructions for all refugees wishing to repatriate:

Every returning family must present a recent family photo which will be verified by UNHCR staff. All family members over the age of 6 years must go through the Iris recognition process to receive the UNHCR returnee assistance

Returnees can bring only their actual belongings back to Afghanistan. Returnees who wish to take equipment/goods for income-generation purposes must obtain approval from CAR Camp-based refugees must dismantle their houses before departure.

UNHCR will give each returning refugee cash assistance in place of food and material assistance. Each returning refugee will receive US$8 in addition to cash for transport assistance. This replaces items previously distributed in 2003, including the wheat ration. The cash grant will be given to returning refugees at the appropriate encashment center inside Afghanistan.

Office locations:

Peshawar
Refugees from urban areas should approach the IVC and Departure Center Hayatabad, open Sundays through Thursdays, 0700 to 1530.

Karachi
Refugees should approach the pre-registration centres PRC) located in Songal (covering Camp Jadeed), Indus Plaza (covering Sohrab Goth), Landhi (covering Landhi, Korangi and Drigh Colony areas) and at the Hub River Road VRC (covering Metroville, Orangi, Lyari areas). They operate Monday to Thursday from 0900 to 1400 and 0900 to 1200 on Friday. Mobile teams will handle pre-registration in Metroville, Ittehand Colony, Orangi and Malir areas.

VRFs, which must be obtained before leaving Karachi, will be issued only at Songal and by mobile teams. Departures for the Torkham border - stopping in Peshawar for iris checks - will be on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Departures toward the Chaman border - stopping in Quetta for the iris checks - will be on Monday, Tuesday and Friday.

Quetta
Refugees should go to the scheduling centres -- Khilji Colony Sabzal Road and Ghousabad Satelite Town. They are open Monday to Friday from 0800. The Departure Center is Quetta Baleli on Quetta-Chaman Road. It is open Sunday to Thursday from 0800.

Islamabad
Refugees wishing to repatriate should approach the Pre-Registration Centre in I-11/3, near Sabzi Mandi. They will be given a date for verification, registration and departure for the IVC in Peshawar.

Attock
Refugees should go to the Registration Centre, Peoples Colony, to tell UNHCR they wish to repatriate. A date will be set for obtaining the VRF and proceeding to the IVC in Peshawar.

Lahore
Refugees wishing to repatriate should contact CARITAS, 1 Temple Road, which is pre-registering returnees for UNHCR. Refugees will be told a date for going to the Tarnol registration centre at Chaudary Tariq Petrol Pump on the main GT road near Islamabad, where they will receive VRFs before departing for the IVC in Peshawar.

Media Contact: Jack Redden: ++92-300-500-1133 Islamabad
Asghar Ali Shah ++92-300-859-3588 Peshawar
Babar Baloch ++92-320-4783615


United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Pakistan

UNHCR Afghan voluntary repatriation starts 2 March