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150,000 Afghan refugees to be repatriated this year

Xinhua, June 18, 2012

• The United Nations refugee agency plans to help in the voluntary repatriation of some 150,000 Afghan refugees from Pakistan this year, an official of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Sunday.

  Pakistan continues to host about 1.7 million refugees. Most of them are from Afghanistan and live in refugee villages and urban areas.

  Since March 2002, the UNHCR has facilitated the return of some 3.7 million registered Afghans from Pakistan.

  According to a decision, all Afghan refugees will be repatriated after 2012 as their Proof of Registration Cards will expire by the end of this year. Pakistan's Ministry of States and Frontier Regions, which also deals with the Afghan refugees, and the UNHCR have planned to implement a new solutions strategy, aimed at supporting the repatriation of 1.7 million documented Afghan refugees in Pakistan.

  The strategy also aimed at preserving asylum space for Afghan refugees in neighboring countries over the coming three years and beyond, and at supporting sustainable reintegration for those Afghans who return home.

  The strategy also calls for assistance to the host countries, UNHCR's representative in Pakistan, Neil Wright, said on Sunday.

  He commended Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan for the initiative and said the joint effort for solutions strategy for Afghan refugees would bear fruit.

  He said the solutions strategy contains measures aimed at supporting refugees, and tailored towards the specific needs of each of the three countries involved. The focus is geared more towards voluntary repatriation and helping the host communities in which refugees live.

  At a time when many countries are closing their doors to those fleeing violence and persecution, the generosity of the people and the government of Pakistan towards Afghan refugees deserves greater recognition, the UNHCR official said.

  The strategy also seeks the commitment of the international community to support countries that host Afghan refugees.

  The UNHCR has established four Voluntary Repatriation Centers in Pakistan to help as many Afghans as possible return home.

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