KABUL: A total of 221 Afghan prisoners have been released from Pakistani jails over the past week and have safely returned to Afghanistan, the country’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced on Thursday.

The detainees, who had been held across various Pakistani facilities on charges largely stemming from the lack of legal documentation, re-entered Afghanistan via the Spin Boldak border crossing in southern Kandahar province.

According to the ministry, they received immediate humanitarian assistance at the border before being transported to their home provinces to receive reintegration support.

Data released by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in July of last year indicates that more than 10,000 Afghan nationals remain imprisoned abroad, predominantly in neighboring Iran and Pakistan.

-Xinhua