80,000 Afghan refugees returned home in 2016: UNHCR

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United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesperson in Pakistan Dunya Aslam Khan said that at least 50,000 Afghan nationals have willingly returned to their home country in August.

Talking to Voice of America (VOA), the spokesperson said that the process of Afghan refugees’ return to home country has expedited after July.

She said that 12,900 Afghans returned to Afghanistan in July while this number reached 50,000 in August.

According to the spokesperson, about 80,000 Afghans have returned to their country in this year.

Minister for State and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch also said that about 4,000 to 5,000 Afghan refugees cross over to Afghanistan. He said that the process of their return is going smoothly and all Afghans will have to leave by next year.

According to the minister, both the governments have agreed upon the return of the refugees and all necessary steps are being taken to ensure their respectful return to their homeland.

The number of Afghan refugees returning their home country from Pakistan has considerably increased during the last two months, he added.