UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, will temporarily suspend voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan from Sept. 14 to 20 due to the upcoming parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, said a press release issued by the agency.

However, UNHCR teams will continue to register Afghans willing to voluntarily repatriate during this break.

All Afghans who are registered during this period can voluntarily repatriate to Afghanistan when the UNHCR facilitated repatriation program resumes on Sept. 21, said the press release.

There are over 3 million Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan although UNHCR has repatriated 2.5 million Afghan refugees in the past two years.

Source: Xinhua