Over 2,000 Afghan refugees return back from Iran, Pakistan

Taking to Twitter, the Refugees, and Repatriation department, on Saturday, said that 1851 Afghan refugees from Iran and 331 others from Pakistan returned home through Spin Boldak and Islamqala crossing points.

The department further revealed that out of 331 refugees, 70 are the ones who were released from Pakistani prisons following the mediation of the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad.

Earlier, Pakistani prison released 26 Afghan detainees, Khaama Press reported.

The detainees were brought from the prisons in Pakistan through the Spin Boldak border crossing.

Afghanistan's department of Refugees and Repatriation, on Wednesday, said that women and children were imprisoned in Sindh because of the lack of residency documents. They were among the detainees who had been released.

Over the past few months, hundreds of undocumented Afghan nationals, including women and children, have been imprisoned in Pakistan's prisons, including Karachi and Sindh, confronting fierce criticism by national and international entities, according to Khaama Press.

The organizations, particularly the Pakistan Human Rights Commission and the UN Refugee Agency, urged the government of Pakistan to treat Afghan citizens decently, reported Khaama Press.

137 Afghan citizens were released from Karachi prison earlier this month and returned home.

Moreover, it is reported that a considerable number of Afghan migrants return to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan over the past months. Some of these refugees chose to come back home willingly, others are forced to leave the host countries.

Since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, thousands of Afghans fled Afghanistan to the neighboring countries fearing persecution and death threats. Most of these people entered host countries through illegal channels, now facing serious problems including forceful deportation and imprisonment. (ANI)