Thousands of Pakistanis who fled to Afghanistan to escape fighting between the army and militants in the northwestern tribal areas began returning home today, two years after they were displaced, officials said. The first batch of 200 tribal families from North Waziristan district, or some 2,000 people, were being greeted by officials at the Ghulam Khan border crossing, local administrator Kamran Khan Afridi told AFP.
He said similar numbers would be arriving daily until January 26, with the families first accommodated in camps before being sent back to their villages and towns.