4,000 Afghan families returned from Pakistan last week

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): About 4,000 Afghan families have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan through the Torkham crossing over the past week, local officials in eastern Nangarhar province said on Wednesday.

This return follows the expiration of Pakistan’s government deadline on 31st March, which required illegal Afghan migrants to leave the country or face forced deportation.

Since the expired of the deadline, police have started arresting and deporting Afghan refugees in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

In a statement, the provincial media office said that most of the returnees were forcibly deported, primarily from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and other regions of Pakistan.

The statement also noted that the number of returning families continues to rise daily.

Meanwhile, the Refugee and Repatriation Department in Nangarhar has assured that humanitarian assistance is being provided to the returnees in various forms.

Reports indicate that around three million Afghan refugees are currently residing in Pakistan, with nearly one million lacking legal documentation.

kk/sa