Mixed reaction to Afghan refugee repatriation plan

Afghan refugees and aid workers on Tuesday had mixed reactions to a draft agreement on a tripartite plan between the governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the voluntary repatriation of some 1.8 million Afghan refugees from Pakistan. "We are not in total agreement with the plan," Fatana Gailani, head of the Afghanistan Women's Council, told IRIN from the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday. "I don’t know the understanding behind the agreement, but some Afghans are political refugees," she said, adding that many Afghans did not want to go home for fear of persecution for their political affiliations or ethnic origin. While more than 1.5 million Afghans have returned to their war-stricken country since the start of the voluntary repatriation drive earlier this year, about 1.8 million stayed put in Pakistan, many are waiting for improved security or better work prospects before returning. Afghan Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Enayatollah Nazeri arrived in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday for a five-day visit to hold talks on the welfare of and future resettlement plans for Afghan refugees. Gailani said that although the international community had emphasised the voluntary nature of repatriation, the lack of assistance for Afghan refugees in Pakistan had rendered resettlement in Afghanistan more attractive. She noted, however, that "many people go to Afghanistan only to return after some time, or simply languish on borders". But some Afghans do not share her views. Welcoming the move, Fahima Amin Rasuli, an Afghan aid worker, told IRIN that it was "a positive step, because its gives enough time to Afghan refugees to prepare for resettlement". She said that although Afghanistan would not recover soon, there was a gradual improvement in the situation. Rasuli’s own home in the Afghan capital, Kabul, was still in ruins, but she was nevertheless willing to go back once her office was relocated to Kabul. "We will support repatriation if it is voluntary," Lisbeth Pilegaard, the resident representative of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), told IRIN. "The area of return [inside Afghanistan] should provide security and livelihood opportunities," she said. The NRC has helped some 20,000 Afghans repatriated this year by providing them with legal aid and information. Highlighting the significance of the proposed plan, a spokesman for UNHCR, Jack Redden, told IRIN that the agreement signified understanding between the two countries on an issue that was at the heart of their bilateral relations. "This will hopefully provide a final resolution to a very old refugee problem," he said, adding that it would provide UNHCR and the two governments with a time frame within which to manage the issue.