UN refugee agency registers uprooted Pakistanis in urban areas
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 21 April 2009 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN refugee agency registers uprooted Pakistanis in urban areas, 21 April 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/49fab9d61e.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The United Nations refugee agency has kicked off its registration of thousands of Pakistanis who are seeking shelter in the capital, Islamabad, and other cities after fleeing in the South Asian nation's rugged north.
The registration drive by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) comes at the request of the Pakistani Government and seeks to ascertain the number of people who have moved to urban areas after escaping clashes between the army and militants in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Swat district of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
According to a preliminary survey last month, over 82,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are living in key cities, with nearly 8,000 in Islamabad. Most of the uprooted live in rented accommodation or with host families, while some are sheltering in camps.
The agency began its two-month exercise yesterday, registering displaced families, in the Bahara Kahau suburbs near the capital.
Along with its partners, UNHCR will work with community elders to identify and register uprooted people in Islamabad, Lahore and other cities in Punjab province, moving on to Karachi at a later date.
Although the displaced are seeking refuge in cheaper areas of cities, rents are still high, given that they are away from their families and traditional support networks, the agency said.
"From our preliminary assessment, it seems that in addition to the newly displaced, longer-term settlers from FATA have recently been joined by their families who are fleeing the current conflict," said UNHCR Assistant Representative in Pakistan Kilian Kleinschmidt.
