LANDI KOTAL: On Friday, another 30 families returned to Afghanistan over the Torkham border, continuing the steady flow of displaced Afghans returning home.
The 204 people from these 30 households rode in a convoy of 16 vehicles to the Torkham border crossing. As part of the continuous process of easing the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland, their paperwork were verified at this crossing point before they were allowed permission to enter Afghanistan.
Approximately 554 people, or 60 families, have voluntarily returned to Afghanistan during the previous two days, according to a statement released by the Afghan Commissionerate. This exemplifies the eagerness of Afghan families to take advantage of the chance to relocate back to Afghanistan.
Afghan families with valid UNHCR credentials can initiate the return process by calling a special hotline in Aza Khel, Nowshera. They are given instructions on how to get to the chosen camp and a deadline for doing so via this hotline. They then travel to the Torkham border, where they are subjected to additional screening before finally making their way back to Afghanistan.
These refugees are given a total of $825 to help them reintegrate into Afghan culture, including $375 at the Torkham border, $350 upon their arrival in Afghanistan, and another $350 three months later.
There are three types of Afghan refugees that this repatriation campaign is attempting to help. Those who have been issued a refugee status card by the UNHCR fall into the first group and are eligible for the aforementioned financial aid. Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders fall into the second group; they are also considered lawful refugees but are not eligible for financial assistance upon their return.
Finally, the third group consists of refugees who lack proper documentation and are therefore illegal.
Refugees without proper documentation were formerly barred from entering Afghanistan, but the government has since lifted this restriction. According to the official, “Torkahm, Ghulam Khan Border, and Chaman in Balochistan are the main crossing points for refugees, while the number of undocumented refugees is low in K-P and very high in Karachi and Punjab.”
“So far we have not seen any rush of undocumented refugees trying to go back, but it would gain momentum in a few days,” he said.
However, a major conference has been arranged for next week to finalise the necessary plans to deport unlawful Afghan refugees from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The secretary of home affairs for K-P, senior police officers, and security staff will all be in attendance at this meeting, according to official sources revealed to The Express Tribune. There will be much discussion and planning for the federal government’s given role during the meeting.
“Afghan refugees’ repatriation in phases will be discussed, and arrangements on Torkham crossing will be assessed in this regard,” he added, adding that they would also debate when the crackdown would begin, how illegal immigrants would be apprehended, and whether or not refugee villages would be shut down.
Meanwhile, the newly consolidated tribal districts’ refugee settlements have been requested by the province’s Home and Tribal Affairs Department.
In light of the growing tensions between the two nations, Pakistan made the monumental policy decision last month to return all of the unlawful Afghan refugees.
