The United Nations says more than 200,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their war-torn country from Pakistan this year, more than half of them within the past five weeks, despite intensification in Taliban-led hostilities in Afghanistan.
The overall figures represent the highest number since 2007 when more than 360,000 refugees went back to Afghanistan under the UNHCR-sponsored voluntary repatriation program, officials noted.
Several factors are contributing to the unusual rise in the number of Afghan families choosing repatriation, but the exodus is “largely voluntary,” says Dunya Khan, a UNHCR spokesperson in Pakistan.
In addition she says Pakistan introduced a new border management system in early June to regulate movement and discourage illegal crossers on its nearly 2,600-kilometer porous frontier with Afghanistan.
Khan says the new border controls require Afghans to carry valid travel documents and visas to enter Pakistan, prompting around 6,000 Afghans to go back every day.
“There were many (refugee) families who were split in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many heads of the families were working in Afghanistan and coming to Pakistan to visit their families. Since the travel has been regularized, therefore, the majority of the Afghans think that for every trip it is not really possible to get a visa, and they have decided to go back to Afghanistan," Khan explained.
Pakistan still hosts about 1.5-million registered Afghan refugees, while another estimated one million are living illegally...
[voanews.com]
4/10/16
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Related:
The overall figures represent the highest number since 2007 when more than 360,000 refugees went back to Afghanistan under the UNHCR-sponsored voluntary repatriation program, officials noted.
Several factors are contributing to the unusual rise in the number of Afghan families choosing repatriation, but the exodus is “largely voluntary,” says Dunya Khan, a UNHCR spokesperson in Pakistan.
In addition she says Pakistan introduced a new border management system in early June to regulate movement and discourage illegal crossers on its nearly 2,600-kilometer porous frontier with Afghanistan.
Khan says the new border controls require Afghans to carry valid travel documents and visas to enter Pakistan, prompting around 6,000 Afghans to go back every day.
“There were many (refugee) families who were split in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Many heads of the families were working in Afghanistan and coming to Pakistan to visit their families. Since the travel has been regularized, therefore, the majority of the Afghans think that for every trip it is not really possible to get a visa, and they have decided to go back to Afghanistan," Khan explained.
Pakistan still hosts about 1.5-million registered Afghan refugees, while another estimated one million are living illegally...
[voanews.com]
4/10/16
-
Related:
Thousands flee fierce fighting in Afghanistan's Helmand
Afghanistan's Hazara minority : At least 61 killed in explosion at protest in Kabul
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