Afghan registration will continue after Eid-ul-Azha
By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD—The government of Pakistan has announced that the registration of Afghan citizens in Pakistan will continue to January 19, 2007, after a four-day Eid break in light of the overall high trends of registration in the country.
The registration exercise started on October 15, 2006 and was scheduled to end on December 31. However, after discussions between the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CAR), the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) under the Ministry of Interior and the UN refugee agency, it was decided to continue the process till January 19, 2007.
“Registration had a slow start in October due to Ramadan and logistical/technical problems,” said Sajid Hussain Chattha, Secretary Ministry of States and Frontier Regions. “But the pace of registration has accelerated to the point that today, we are registering over 25,000 Afghans per day across the country. The continuation is a response to this increasing turnout and to allow those who have not yet participated a final opportunity to come forward.”
Only those who participated in the February/March 2005 census of Afghans in Pakistan are eligible for registration. Over 1.3 million Afghans have been registered since the exercise began - 55 percent of the 2.4 million Afghans believed to be living in Pakistan today. Registered Afghans above five years of age receive Proof of Registration (POR) cards that are valid for three years and recognize the bearers as Afghan citizens temporarily living in Pakistan. “The POR cards are the first-ever official individual documentation for Afghan citizens since they arrived in Pakistan after the Soviet invasion,” said Guenet Guebre-Christos, UNHCR’s Representative in Pakistan. “They will help the government of Pakistan to manage this population better. We believe that the registration exercise will also assist the government of Pakistan, UNHCR and the Afghan government to find durable solutions for Afghans in Pakistan.”
Registration centres will be closed December 31, 2006 to January 03, 2007 for the Eid-ul-Azha holidays. It will resume on January 04 in all existing centres, from 8 am to 7.30 pm daily. January 19 is the last day for registration. No one will be registered after this date. Afghan registration is a free of cost service.