500 refugee families returning every day to Afghanistan: UNHCR

ISLAMABAD: The return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is continuing and every day 500 families are going back to their country.

A spokesman of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees told APP that when the refugees return, their identity is verified through the latest IRIS test and after that they are issued registration forms.

Two centres have been established to facilitate the return of refugees. One centre is located in the Chamkani area of Peshawar which is assisting refugees returning from the areas of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Azad Kashmir and Islamabad. The other centre is set up in Quetta where refugees from Sindh and Balochistan can contact to get a date for their return and complete other formalities.

According to the spokesman, the IRIS test is conducted to ensure that the refugees should not return from Afghanistan after getting financial assistance. Around 300 trucks leave Pakistan daily to transport refugees back to Afghanistan.