UNHCR: Around 500 Afghan refugee families leave Pakistan every day

EghtesadOnline: A recent report by United Nations High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) says that around 500 Afghan refugee families in Pakistan are returning to their own country 'every day'.

News ID: ۷۶۹۰۶۹

29 August 2016

According to the report, every person who leaves is given $400 of financial assistance. Also two centres have been established in cities of Peshawar and Quetta to facilitate the return of refugees.

When the refugees arrive in Afghanistan, every person gets $400 within seven days of applying at the UNHCR centres working in Kandahar, Kabul and Jalalabad, reports IRNA.

Earlier in June, UN High Commissioner for Refugees announced to double the individual assistance package for Afghan refugees returning to Afghanistan.
Refugees returning to Afghanistan were given $200 per person for assistance before this raise.

Pakistan government has taken serious measures to force around three million registered and unregistered Afghan refugees, living in Pakistan for over three decades, to leave for their own country

Pakistan federal minister for states and frontier regions Abdlul Qadir Baloch has said all Afghan refugees need to leave Pakistan by 31 of December, 2016 otherwise will be treated as 'illegal immigrants'.

Abdlul Qadir Baloch reitereated that the deadline would not be extended and also the immigration documents of the refugees would be extended.

Previously, June 31, 2016 had been set as the deadline for the return of Afghan refugees but Pakistan extended the date till December 31 this year.

Pakistan has been hosting Afghan refugees for over three decades. Pakistan hosts 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees and over one million unregistered ones.