Saifur Rehman & Shamsur Rehman, 11 & 13 years old : “We are friends and we love to play cricket. The sport is our passion. We both want to join the Afghan cricket team one day.  Today we are going to our country [Afghanistan] for the first time and we are so happy. We haven’t been to Afghanistan but we can imagine that the country must be beautiful with many gardens and beautiful cities.

We are a little sad also because we are leaving behind some good friends here in Pakistan, with whom we used to play cricket. We will miss Pakistan – we were born and raised here. We will continue our education back in Afghanistan and will play a role in rebuilding our own country. We have only one worry, that war is still ongoing. What we want is just a peaceful Afghanistan.”

Saifur Rehman, 11, and Shamsur Rehman, 13, pose for a photograph before returning to Afghanistan at the Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Quetta. Quetta, Pakistan © UNHCR/Q.K.Afridi/2015

Afghan families going back to Afghanistan after being processed at the Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Quetta. Quetta, Pakistan © UNHCR/Q.K.Afridi/2015

Saifur Rehman, 11, and Shamsur Rehman, 13, were born and grew up in Surkhab refugee village in Balochistan. Their family is from Khust province in Afghanistan. At the Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Quetta, both the brothers have mixed feelings about going back to Afghanistan. They will miss Pakistan but are excited to see their own country.

Saifur Rehman wants to become an engineer, while Shamsur Rehman is hopeful to become a cardiologist. “We don’t fight with each other as other siblings do,” the brothers laugh. “The people of Pakistan are very good as we have spent some good time with them,” Shamsur added. Both brothers are hoping for a peaceful Afghanistan where they will live a happy life.

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