KARACHI About 4,000 afghan refugees left the Pakistani port city of Karachi for home, a United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) official said.

The process has been initiated by the UNHCR for a voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees.

"Over 50,000 refugees have been repatriated from the southern Sindh province of Pakistan since April this year," Melita Sinjic said.

Afghans are still reluctant to return to their homeland until a Loya Jirga is held and a permanent administration is installed in war ravaged Afghanistan, he added. The Loya Jirga is scheduled for June 10 to choose a new government in Afghanistan.

According to estimates some 600,000 Afghan refugees were settled in the southern Pakistani province in different cities and town, mostly in Karachi.

UNHCR is facing a shortage of resources with which to fund repatriation. The agency has appealed to donors to provide funds for its work, DPA reported.