Afghan census concludes

Officials conducting a census of Afghans living in Pakistan have failed to count hundreds of people living in parts of the Pakistani capital Islamabad, local Afghan residents told IRIN. The survey, which concluded on Sunday in most of the country, was run by the Pakistani government with financial and technical support from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). All Afghans residing in Pakistan since 1979 were obliged to take part. "Our school was closed for about two weeks. We were asked to stay at home so that the census teams could conduct counting. But no one came there in G-8 [a suburb of Islamabad], and there are a lot of Afghan families," student Nadia Ahmedzai told IRIN in Islamabad. The census, conducted by some 2,640 enumerators from the Pakistan Census Organisation (PCO), was due to last 10 days from 23 February until 4 March but operational problems caused delays in parts of the country. In the southwestern province of Balochistan the survey will continue until 10 March due to bad weather. Pakistan Census Organisation (PCO) teams were sent all over the country, with 25 teams in Islamabad alone. The census was also observed by the UN and by diplomatic representatives to ensure that correct procedures were followed. "The census teams were sent everywhere across the country from well-off neighbourhoods to slum areas, from long-established refugee camps to main cities," Shams-ul-Islam, deputy census commissioner at PCO, told IRIN in Islamabad on Monday. But many Afghans in and around the capital said they had not seen any census officials. Residents in the nearby town of Rawalpindi told IRIN they had not been informed properly about the census, despite a media-wide advertising campaign. "We've not seen anything on TV or newspapers, we found out just three days ago when the extension was announced on TV," Shafiqa Poppal, a 50-year-old woman living in the Khayaban-e-Sir Syed district of Rawalpindi, told IRIN. In addition, many enumerators were reported to be facing logistical and operational difficulties - such as a lack of appropriate clothing and equipment, and a lack of transport to reach some areas. "We've not got enough stationery like pens, markers and data forms, nor have we been given any funds to purchase them for ourselves. Our forms have run out and we are using photocopies now to enter the particulars of families," Umeed Ali, an enumerator told IRIN in Rawalpindi on Saturday. In its defence, the PCO deputy commissioner told IRIN they had done all they could. "We tried our best to cover every part [of the country], however, 100 percent is never possible, so there may be pockets left. But now the census is over and nothing can be done," Shams-ul-Islam said. But to count the large number of Afghans living in Rawalpindi, only 12 teams were employed. "Thousands of Afghan families are living alone in Khayaban-e-Sir Syed, even sometimes four to five families are housed in one residence comprising three rooms. But hundreds would be left uncounted at the pace they are going and tomorrow is the last day of census," Ghulam Rasool, a 42-year-old resident of Khayan-e-Sir Syed told IRIN on Saturday. UNHCR appeared pleased with how the census had been conducted, despite the logistical problems. "We are happy that the whole process was conducted smoothly, for which we were preparing for over an year. But, in such a huge logistical operations there, obviously, will always be some kind of problem," Jack Redden, a UNHCR spokesman, told IRIN. According to some reports, the census has not been conducted in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Federally administered Northern Areas. "Obviously, the areas which were completely closed by snows, there census couldn't be conducted. But, mapping was done in those areas. So we've an idea of Afghan population over there," the UNHCR official said. Final results of the census are expected in April. The data will be analysed to devise comprehensive solutions for Afghan citizens who continue to live in Pakistan after expiry of the tripartite agreement. The agreement between the governments of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UN refugee agency governs the voluntary repatriation of Afghans to their homeland till March 2006. The government of Pakistan estimates more than three million Afghans living in Pakistan, with some 1 million residing in the UNHCR-administered refugee camps mainly located in the North West Frontier province and Balochistan province.