Hundreds of IDP families sent back to own areas from Kabul

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Refugee Affairs says 272 internally displaced families were sent back to their own areas from Kabul with the help of UNHCR.

Addressing a gathering in this regard in Kabul Deputy Minister of Refugee Affairs Arsala Kharoti said that the process of sending the displaced families back to their area was being coordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Kabul Directorate of Refugee Affairs.

He said a total of 2,000 displaced families would be sent back to their areas and so far they had surveyed 1,650 families in Kabul, of which 272 families were now being transferred to their own areas, and each family was paid $200 for transportation costs.

He said these families hailed from Bamyan, Daikundi, Ghor, Ghazni and Maidan Wardak provinces and the process would continue.

Kharoti said the families would be given food aid by a number of organizations in their areas, and they would also be provided with a place to live and other living facilities.

According to him, so far more than 6000 displaced families from Kabul have been transferred back to their areas.

A displaced person, Ihsanullah, told Pajhwok he was happy to be given the opportunity to go to his area, but said the displaced families were poor and needed help.

“We led a very hard life in Kabul, but now that I am going to my area, my house has been destroyed in the past conflict, and today he received 200 dollars for transportation cost." He asked the UNHCR  should provide them with a place to live in their provinces.

Recently many refugee families returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan voluntarily or after being forcibly expelled.

ma