The Role of UNHCR and Afghan Refugees in Pakistan

摘要

The UNHCR has been in Pakistan since the first Afghan refugee arrival in the country. It has operated through the office of the Afghan Commissionerate of Pakistan. The protracted nature of the Afghan conflict has posed a challenge to the operations of UNHCR. The office has come a long way from managing the largest caseload of refugees to handling the largest repatriation in its history. Its record can at best be described as mixed. It has protected, assisted and repatriated Afghan refugees over a period of three decades. For Afghans the institution has retained a benign image, which enabled it to continue its operations. However, the presence of over a million refugees in Pakistan dents its high profile, because the office has failed to make them go back.