ISLAMABAD: At least 100,000 registered Afghan refugees repatriated this year through the Voluntary Repatriation Centres of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
According to the UNHCR spokesperson Dunya Aslam, as many as 70,000 Afghan refugees repatriated from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5,000 from Balochistan, 1,800 from Sindh, 12,200 from Punjab, 1,500 from Islamabad and 230 from Azad Kashmir.
The number of Afghan refugees going back to their country had slightly increased due to the rise in cash grant from $ 200 to $400 per person, she said.
The UNHCR facilitated the return of over 3.9 million registered Afghan refugees from Pakistan under its voluntary repatriation programme since 2002.
However, the UNHCR did not have any record of the Afghans that returned back home illegally, she said.
It is pertinent to mention that the UNHCR’s mandate in Pakistan only covers registered Afghan refugees with valid Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.
The PoR cards, issued by the Government of Pakistan to registered Afghan refugees is an important protection document, which entitles its holder to stay in the country until December 31and it ensures that the refugees have the freedom of movement within Pakistan.
