Afghan citizens in Pakistan can return to their country on national identity cards (NICs) without passport and visa in a month, an official said on Tuesday.
Torkham Township Commissar Esmatullah Yaqoubi said Afghans without visa and passports could return to their homeland via Torkham crossing on NICs for up to one month without any problem.
He said negotiations were held with Pakistan officials on the closure of Torkham gate and both sides agreed that Afghans in Pakistan could return to their country without passport and visa.
Syed Mohammad, a resident of Chaparhar district of Nangarhar, who visited Pakistan for treatment of his son and returned on Monday, said that many Afghans were returning to the country without passports through Torkham.
He added: “I had passport and visa, but many Afghans with NICs and without passport and visa were allowed to enter the country.”
Pakistan had closed the Torkham Gate for passengers and cargo trucks for 10 days and reopened it on Friday.
The crossing point was closed after a clash between security forces of the two countries.
Afghan officials alleged that Pakistani forces opened fire on them.
Caretaker Pakistan prime minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has said all ‘illegal’ Afghan nationals would be repatriated to their country to curb smuggling of goods and foreign currency.
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