A total of 155 Afghan prisoners were freed from jails across Pakistan over the past week and have safely returned home, Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced on Thursday.

The former detainees received immediate humanitarian assistance at the border before being transported to their respective home provinces for reintegration support, the ministry said.

In a separate earlier release, about 426 Afghan inmates imprisoned in Pakistan were repatriated to their homeland last week.

An estimated six million Afghans live abroad, primarily in neighboring Iran and Pakistan. The Afghan government has repeatedly urged its citizens overseas to return and contribute to the reconstruction of the war-torn country.