Process of voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from KP resumes
- By Web Desk -
- Aug 10, 2020
PESHAWAR: The process of voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Afghanistan resumed on Monday.
A spokesman of UNHCR Qaiser Afridi said that a repatriation center has been set up at Azakhel district Nowshera to register refugees who want to go back to Afghanistan.
He said that UNHCR is providing about two hundred dollars to each Afghan refugee in the encashment centers after settlement in Afghanistan.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Pakistan is hosting over 1.4 million Afghan refugees, making the country the second largest host of refugee population in the world.
Some refugees have been living in Pakistan for three generations. They have established their business here, and some of them have even married locals and have been deeply integrated into society.
Read more: Govt has no plans to extend stay of Afghan refugees in Pakistan: Yousafzai
The interim stay of refugees extended by the Pakistani government is coming to an end on June 30, and Minister of State for States and Frontier Region Shehryar Khan Afridi affirmed that his country supports voluntary repatriation of the refugees residing in Pakistan in safety and dignity.
In a recent meeting, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the UNHCR agreed to launch an awareness program to enable them to make a decision to voluntarily return, with the facilitation and coordination of Pakistan.