26 Afghan detainees released from Pakistan jail

Kabul [Afghanistan], July 9 : At least 26 Afghan detainees were released from Pakistan's jail in Quetta and returned to Afghanistan, the Taliban announced, Khaama Press reported.

The Department of Refugees and Repatriation of Afghanistan said that these Afghan nationals were detained after failing to provide legal residence permits. The detainees were returned to the country through the Spin Boldak crossing point after being released.

At least 556 Afghan refugees were deported to Afghanistan via the Spin Boldak border from July 4 to 6, according to the statistics released by the Taliban.

According to the Taliban's border security command in the Spin Boldak area of southern Kandahar province, 83 families including 537 individuals and 19 single people returned to the country from Pakistan.

The ministry said the returnees were referred to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to receive the required aid after registration, according to Khaama Press.

The source added that Salamat Network provided free treatment for some returnees who suffered from different diseases.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Refugee Council provided food packages to the returnees, the statement said.

After the recent regime change in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans migrated to the neighboring countries including Iran and Pakistan fearing death threats and persecution by the Taliban's de facto authorities.

Last month, on June 25, a total of 230 Afghan migrant families from Pakistan returned to Afghanistan through the Torkham crossing in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported.

The refugee department said that each family received drinking water, biscuits, and the return fare and expenditure from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office, Khaama Press reported.

The Taliban-led Nimruz province's Directorate of Immigrants and Returnees Affairs said that 64,115 Afghan migrants returned to Afghanistan through the Nimruz crossing in May. Afghan migrants returned after Amnesty International received recent complaints from Afghan refugees alleging harassment by Pakistani police, the report said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad called on the Pakistan government to stop arresting and expelling refugees after the arbitrary detention of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Khaama Press reported.