KABUL, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- A total of 261 Afghan prisoners have been released from jails in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan, Afghan government ministries announced in separate statements on Thursday.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sustained diplomatic efforts by Afghanistan's embassy in the UAE resulted in the release of around 108 Afghan detainees by Emirati authorities. The release coincided with the UAE's National Day, with some inmates already returned and others scheduled for repatriation following the completion of legal formalities.
In a parallel development, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced that 153 Afghans imprisoned in various Pakistani cities have been released and safely returned to Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak border crossing in southern Kandahar province. Their prison terms had ranged from one day to two months.
The repatriations come as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported a couple of months ago that over 10,000 Afghan citizens remain incarcerated abroad, primarily in Iran and Pakistan. ■
