Written question asked by John Bercow (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 January 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 11 February 2004. It was answered by Gareth Thomas (Labour) on Wednesday, 11 February 2004 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent estimate he has made of the number of Afghan refugees in (a) Pakistan and (b) Iran. - Inc figures.

Answer: Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent estimate he has made of the number of Afghan refugees in (a) Pakistan and (b) Iran. [149972] Mr. Gareth Thomas: The most recent estimate by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is 1.6 million individuals. The number, however, is difficult to assess accurately as there has not been a registration since 1995. In addition, there are significant numbers of Afghans in Pakistan who are not refugees. In Iran UNHCR's estimate is 1.9 million. Here most of the Afghan refugees are registered, although there may be a significant margin of error.

Secondary information