28 April 2022
Closure of UNHCR Voluntary Repatriation Centres during Eid-ul-Fitr
Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) or UNHCR-issued refugee cards, who are planning to return to Afghanistan from Pakistan under the UN Refugee Agency’s facilitated voluntary repatriation programme are informed, that the UNHCR Voluntary Repatriation Centres (VRC) in Azakhel, Nowshera and Baleli, Quetta will be closed on account of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The voluntary repatriation centres in Nowshera, Baleli and Encashment Centres in Afghanistan will remain closed from Monday 2 May to Friday 6 May 2022 and will reopen on Monday 9 May 2022.
As per usual practice, Afghan refugees in Pakistan who wish to proceed through the VRCs after the facilitated returns resume are encouraged to contact the following UNHCR helpline numbers, which are operational between 8am to 8pm, before approaching the centres.
The helpline numbers in Pakistan are given below:
Peshawar Helpline: 0300-858-5600, 03000544491, 03000544492, 0300544496
Quetta Helpline: 0300-1511636. 0333-781-9601
Islamabad-Punjab: 03005018568
Karachi helpline: 03341112008
The emergency contact numbers of Encashment Centres in Afghanistan are as follows:
Kabul, Kabul province: 0093 (0)791 990 244
Samarkhel, Nangarhar province: 093 (0) 791990203 or 0093 (0) 791990236
Jamal Mayna, Kandahar province: 0093 (0) 791990368, or 0093 (0) 791990370
Herat, Herat province: 0093 (0) 791990091
Please contact UNHCR Kabul repatriation unit 0093 (0) 791990019 in case the Encashment Centres cannot be reached.
Visit our HELP site for information on asylum in Pakistan