Pakistan begins registration of Afghan citizens in country

The first-ever registration of Afghan citizens in Pakistan started on Sunday, kicking off a massive exercise to provide eligible Afghans with official identification during their temporary stay in Pakistan, the UN refugee agency said.

The Pakistani government exercise is a follow-up to the 2005 census of Afghans who had arrived in Pakistan after Dec. 1, 1979 to escape the Soviet invasion of their homeland, a UNHCR statement said.

"Only Afghans included in the census can take part in the registration," said Nayar Agha, the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees in Islamabad. "For them, registration is mandatory and they will get a Proof of Registration card at the end of it."

The 10-week-long exercise is conducted by the National Database and Registration Authorities (NADRA) of Pakistan through 90 centers supported by mobile registration vehicles across the country. UNHCR and Pakistani officials are verifying names against the census database and monitoring the whole process.

So far, more than 4,000 Afghans have been registered in pilot exercises in two Pakistani towns of Chitral and Jhang that started on Oct. 1.

To register, eligible Afghans must approach designated centers in the same area where they took the census, as the database is area-specific. Registered Afghans will receive the Proof of Registration card with digital photographs and fingerprints. Children under the age of five will be listed on their mother's card. The card is valid for three years and recognizes the bearer as an Afghan citizen temporarily living in Pakistan.

"More than 2.8 million Afghans have returned home from Pakistan since 2002. Another 2.5 million are believed to be still living in Pakistan," said Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR's Assistant Representative in Pakistan. "Within the three years of the PoR card's validity, we hope to be able to find more durable solutions to this protracted situation. Starting next March, we will introduce new repatriation arrangements tied to the PoR card to help returnees in their area of origin."

The registration exercise, which costs some 6 million U.S. dollars, is expected to end on Dec. 31.

Source: Xinhua