Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have reaffirmed their commitment that voluntary and dignified repatriation is the best solution to end protracted Afghan refugee situation in Pakistan. This was stated at the 22nd Tripartite Commission meeting, according a press release issued on Sunday.
The parties agreed that all efforts should be undertaken to expedite the voluntary repatriation of refugees in a sustainable manner and to intensify efforts for durable reintegration in Afghanistan. The Pakistani delegation was headed by Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Shaukatullah, while Afghanistan’s Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs (MoRR) Dr Jamahir Anwary led his country’s delegation. The participants of the Tripartite Commission meeting supported and emphasised the proposal to enhance assistance for voluntarily returns from $150 to $200. Shaukatullah informed the delegates that the Pakistani government would soon announce its new policy on the management and repatriation of Afghan refugees. He said the policy was currently awaiting the approval of the prime minister and the cabinet.
The Afghan minister said his country wanted “dignified and voluntary” repatriation of Afghan refugees, while recognising the need to increase efforts to facilitate voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. However, he added that in view of ground realities in Afghanistan, not all the Afghans in Pakistan would be able to return in the near future. Both SAFRON and MoRR noted that the early progress on the implementation of the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR), endorsed in Geneva in May this year, required urgent enhancement through the funding of development programmes in both countries, particularly in relation to the expansion of reintegration assistance in high return areas in Afghanistan to support additional returnees. Speaking at the occasion, UNHCR representative Neill Wright said efforts should be made to ensure that the Afghan refugee issue was not politicised. There are 1.66 million registered Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan. The majority of these are women and elderly people who have lived in Pakistan for more than three decades, and their Pakistan-born children. This year, nearly 83,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan under the UNHCR facilitated voluntary return programme from Pakistan and Iran.
