KABUL, July 23 — At least 1,099 Afghan nationals held in Pakistani custody facilities and 3,118 registered refugees have been repatriated to Afghanistan, authorities confirmed Thursday, as part of an ongoing wave of returns from the neighboring state. The detainees, who had been incarcerated on a range of charges across various Pakistani jails, were ushered back through the Spin Boldak border crossing in southern Kandahar province and the Torkham crossing point in eastern Nangarhar province, according to a statement issued by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation. In a parallel development, the country’s High Commission for Addressing Returnees’ Problems reported that an additional 3,118 Afghan refugees made the journey back on Wednesday alone, underscoring the accelerating pace of involuntary and voluntary returns. Afghanistan currently hosts an estimated 6 million citizens abroad, the vast majority residing in neighboring Iran and Pakistan, with a significant proportion lacking formal documentation.
Xinhua
