ISLAMABAD, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Three Afghan refugee camps in Bannu district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been completely vacated after 525 families were repatriated to Afghanistan under the government's ongoing repatriation drive, a senior district official told Xinhua on Tuesday.
Additional Deputy Commissioner Umar Khitab Khan said the families from the Bizan Khel, Ghoriwala and Mamand Khel camps were repatriated via the Torkham border, with the provincial government providing funds, transport and other logistical support.
He said the repatriation campaign had now shifted to Afghan nationals living in rented houses and private residences in Bannu and nearby villages, with local police assisting in identifying and processing them.
According to Khan, 77 Afghan nationals living outside the camps have been repatriated so far after being transferred to the Hamza Baba transit camp in Khyber district for deportation.
He added that Afghan families willing to return voluntarily could stay at temporary transit centers before being transported to the Torkham border.
The repatriation drive has accelerated after Pakistan's July 10 deadline for Afghan nationals to leave the country expired.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 1 million Afghans returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan in 2025. The UN agency said repatriation continued in 2026, with nearly 150,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan and Iran by mid-February. ■