708 Afghans released from Pakistani prisons return via Spin Boldak and Torkham

The Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced the return of 708 citizens who had served varying sentences in Pakistani prisons, while 22 Afghans were repatriated from Libyan prisons in coordination with the Afghan Embassy in Cairo.

Seven hundred and eight Afghan citizens released from Pakistani prisons returned to their country this week, the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said, as reported by the Afghan Pajhwok news agency on Thursday.

In a statement, the ministry said 405 of them entered Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar province, while another 303 returned through the Torkham crossing in Nangarhar province after serving varying prison terms in Pakistan. The returnees received humanitarian assistance before being transported to their areas of residence, the ministry added.

معبر تورخم الحدودي بين أفغانستان وباكستان

The ministry did not specify the charges for which the returnees had been imprisoned or how many Afghans remain held in Pakistani prisons.

22 returnees from Libyan prisons

Separately, at least 22 Afghans were released from Libyan prisons and repatriated, the official Bakhtar news agency said, according to the Khama Press website. The agency said their release was coordinated with the Afghan Embassy in Cairo, which handles diplomatic affairs related to Libya, adding that efforts to repatriate other detainees are continuing.

Afghan authorities did not disclose the identities of those released, the reasons for their detention or how many Afghan citizens remain in Libyan detention centers. Reuters reported on October 28 that the administration of eastern Libya had barred Iranians and Afghans from entering areas under its control through land, sea and air crossings, and had announced plans to deport those without valid residence permits.

Returnees from Iran with bitter memories

الشاب الأفغاني عبد الكريم مع أطفال أمام منزل في ولاية غور بعد عودته من إيران

At the same time, Pajhwok published accounts from young men from Ghor province who returned from Iran after being detained and deported. One of them, 28-year-old Abdul Karim from Dolaina district, said he crossed the border irregularly from Nimroz province with a smuggler. Thirteen people were crammed into a vehicle designed for eight passengers before they reached Iran after five days of traveling and walking.

He added that he worked as a guard for a company and then in construction for about eight months, but was unable to collect half of his wages. Iranian police eventually arrested him at his workplace and deported him to Afghanistan. Pajhwok said unemployment and poverty drive many young people in the province to migrate in search of work.

Photos: Afghan Pajhwok news agency, Wikimedia Commons

708 Afghans released from Pakistani prisons return via Spin Boldak and Torkham