UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2020) The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has suspended the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a press briefing on Tuesday.
"In Pakistan, following the closure of the Torkham and Chaman official border-crossing points with Afghanistan, the voluntary repatriation of registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been suspended," Haq said. "This is due to the government's precautionary measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19."
Haq added that in Pakistans' Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, several UNHCR Voluntary Repatriation Centers are closed until further notice.
Pakistan has so far registered 195 cases of the coronavirus infection.
