KARACHI, June 8: The National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials said on Thursday that mandatory registration of Afghan citizens, living in Pakistan will commence on October and completed in eight to 10 weeks.

A comprehensive mass awareness campaign will be launched to apprise targeted people of benefits of registration, a seminar on “encouraging and assisting Afghan refugees' repatriation,” organized by the Pakistan Press Foundation at its Vicky Zeitlin Media Library was told by Assistant Representative of UNHCR in Pakistan Indirka Ratwatte, Senior Public Information Officer UNHCR Islamabad, Ms Vivian Tan and Director General NADRA Sindh Brig. Abid Haider Kazmi.

Indirka said Afghan refugees' repatriation was not a cause of concern only for Pakistan but for whole international community as several factors add to complexity of the situation, including lack of identification and registration of Afghan citizens in Pakistan.He said in addition to repatriation of Afghans to their war-ravaged and poverty-stricken motherland, managing free movement of Afghans through Torkham and Chaman border crossings besides several border places on 2,400 km long porous border was another major problem facing local authorities and the UNHCR.

“Afghans are coming to areas now in Pakistan for centuries as they have relations here and speak same language. The practice of coming in and out of Pakistan is still continuing. Managing free movement of Afghans on the border is one of major challenges for Pakistan, Afghanistan, UNHCR and international community” he added.

He said owing due to lack of land and shelter, no means of earning livelihood, poverty, destabilization and absence of infrastructure, Afghan refugees were unwilling to return to their motherland. Those repatriated return to Pakistan due to same reasons.He said UNHCR was advocating enhanced international investment in infrastructure development in Agfhanistan, land allocation for repatriates besides a workable solution to manage their movement across border. International community must ensure that repatriation is sustainable.

“UNHCR has evolved a workable solution on registering Afghan citizens in Pakistan for which it will provide assistance. Those not registering after process is over, would be treated as illegal immigrants,” he informed.

UNHCR, in collaboration with the Afghan government, is working on land allocation to repatriates and infrastructure development in war-ravaged country as a majority of refugees were willing to return to their homeland voluntarily.

He said efforts were underway for de-mining in Afghanistan by international agencies and vast area had been de-mined. It was no more obstacle in repatriation of refugees.

Director General NADRA Sindh Brig. Abid Haider Kazmi said NADRA will start registration of over 3 million Afghans in Pakistan from October next. Process will take eight to 10 weeks. After registration, issue of those returning after repatriation to Afghanistan would be controlled. Some 88 NADRA centres and 18 mobile teams will register Afghans in the country.

He said every Afghan of five years age would be issued plastic card with biomatric properties as proof of registration for three years.

UNHCR Senior Public Information Officer in Islamabad Ms Vivian Tan said pull factor and improvement in situation in Afghanistan will help over 3.04 million expatriates. A lot more had to be done by international community for repatriation of all refugees to their motherland.

“We offer assistance to refugees willing to return. UNHCR will improve assistance package to encourage repatriation. Not all Afghans living in Pakistan were refugees.''

Editor Pakistan Press International (PPI) News Agency Farooq Moin, who was moderator of seminar, spoke of the influx of Afghan refugees in Pakistan after former USSR invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979, and issues concerning their repatriation.—PPI