184 Afghan families leave Chaman waiting area

One hundred and eighty-four families left the Chaman waiting area on the border with Afghanistan in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan on Monday as moves to close the controversial settlement. "The whole day went very smoothly," a spokesman for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Jack Redden, told IRIN in the capital, Islamabad. The Afghans were given a choice of either staying inside Pakistan at the Mohammad Kheyl camp or relocating to the Zarey Dasht camp in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar. "Of the families that moved, 93 relocated to Mohammed Kheyl and 91 went to Zarey Dasht today," he added. Those returning to Zarey Dasht were transported to the site, given US $3 per person and a package of food and non-food items. However, those staying in Pakistan were provided only with transport. The Chaman waiting area was turned into a makeshift camp for Afghan refugees fleeing the US-led war on terror in Afghanistan following the 11 September 2001 attacks. The decision to close it was made after concern was expressed by the Pakistani authorities, which opposed its becoming a permanent settlement. "There are also issues of security in that area on the border," Redden said. Whereas facilities in the waiting area improved with the provision of medical care, water and food, thousands of Afghans are nonetheless living there in dirty and unsafe conditions. "It is a special day for Pakistan as we are relocating Afghans from the waiting area to Zarey Dasht and Mohammad Kheyl. Pakistan has always been happy to help its Afghan brothers," Mumtaz Ali Raja, the commissioner for Afghan refugees in Balochistan, said, as quoted in a statement issued by UNHCR on Monday. "I am going to Zarey Dasht, because the option to relocate to Mohammad Kheyl was not right for me and my family," Abdullah from the northern Afghan province of Faryab said at Chaman, while waiting to depart. "I have six family members, and we will return to our homes in Faryab when things get better there," he added. The move to close the area followed the first meeting between the Pakistani and Afghan governments and the UNHCR a few months ago under the Tripartite Commission established earlier this year. Of the 4,070 families who have registered to leave, 2,359 want to go to Zarey Dasht, 1,711 to Mohammad Kheyl, and 20 are asking to be repatriated to their places of origin. "There are only 800 families who have not registered, so most people are willing to move," Redden said. The total population of the Chaman waiting area comprises 19,605 individuals. "It was the assistance from UNHCR with the permission of Pakistan that kept us alive in all conditions. We are happy to go to Mohammad Kheyl as we cannot go back to Afghanistan," said Abdul Nasir from Maymaneh. The deadline for Afghans to leave the waiting area is 15 July 2003.