7,500 SIM cards distributed to returnees daily in Herat

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): About 7,500 SIM cards are daily distributed free of charge by telecommunication companies to newly returnees in Islam Qala port of western Herat province, an official said on Wednesday.

Head of Telecommunications and Information Technology Department Hafiz Khairullah Khairkhwa said telecom companies in cooperation with his department distributed up to 7,500 SIM cards to migrants daily at Islam Qala border reception center and other areas.

The measure was aimed at facilitating migrants’ communication with their families and their access to telecommunication services, he added.

Khairkhwa said all SIM cards were distributed after biometric registration, and immigrants could use call, message, and internet services immediately after receiving them.

Meanwhile, Maulvi Baz Mohammad Sarwari, head of the Afghanistan Telecom Regulatory Authority (ATRA), explained in addition to distributing SIM cards, telecommunications companies were also cooperating in providing food packages and transporting refugees to their accommodation centers.

These SIM cards are offered with free call, message, and internet packages to meet the communication needs of returnees

Returnees expressed satisfaction with this process, said receiving a free SIM card upon entering the country has been a great help for them in contacting their families and accessing information.

Refugee outreach services, including the provision of humanitarian aid, the transfer of returnees from the provinces, the provision of water, bread, and healthcare, continue on a daily basis by the government and charitable organizations.

According to officials, more than half a million Afghan refugees have been forcibly deported from Iran, and now, up to 30,000 people are being returned to the country daily through Islam Qala and 10,000 people through the Nimroz Silk Bridge in past month.

hz/ma