(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Nearly 200 registered Afghan families returned to their country on Monday when the repatriation process resumed after a winter break, the United Nations says.
During the harsh weather conditions in Afghanistan, the UNHCR-supported voluntary repatriation process remained suspended from December 1, 2016 to February 2017.
However, the suspension continued for one more month as Pakistan slammed shut all border crossings after a series of terrorist attacks. Afghanistan-based militants were blamed for the assaults.
Arrangements have been put in place for the voluntary repatriation of refugees at the Chamkani centre near Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
On Monday, 195 families returned to Afghanistan via the Torkham border after deregistration, confirmed a spokesman for the UNHCR, Samad Khan.
However, the returning refugees lashed out at UNHCR€™s decision to slash the cash compensation amount from $400 to $200. Transport and resettlement would cost them more on return home, they complained.
Speaking to The News, Hazrat Wali, an elderly refugee, said he and his family had spent more than 30 years in Pakistan. He alleged police and other government institutions were harassing them.
"I am so happy going back to my hometown Kunduz, but at the same time I am worried about my resettlement and source of livelihood there," the man told the newspaper.
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