Afghan refugees and Pakistan’s predicaments

The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan is a tale of both love and discontent. To its misfortune, the soil of Afghanistan became the fodder for the first proxy war between Russia and the US, and later, the war on terrorism that the US waged against the non-state actors spread across the globe. But to the US, wisdom had its roots in Afghanistan. Both the wars had left Afghanistan obliterated not only economically but also socially and politically. While different experiments were carried out by the US-led Western powers to give a democratic dispensation to the country, they all failed to build political momentum resulting in a governance structure underline by rule of law, accountability and inclusivity. Eventually, however, with war fatigue setting in, the US left the country in the hands of the Taliban. Now that Afghanistan is free of any foreign rule, it is expected to come to terms with the governance system aligned with international practices, act more responsibly and take ownership of its problems.

One of the lingering problems of Afghan wars has been its displaced people. While the displaced Afghans sought shelter in many neighbouring countries, a large number of them flooded Pakistan’s urban cities. Until this past September, the total number of Afghans living in Pakistan, according to the UNHCR, was 3.7 million. However, as per Pakistan’s database, the figure is close to 4.4 million. However, both figures make Pakistan the largest refugee-hosting country in the world.

That is the love part of the Pak-Afghan relationship.

Pakistan brokered the Afghan-US negotiation to end the war that ran for more than 20 years. Though Pakistan made it clear on various occasions that it had very little influence over the Taliban, it was not taken seriously. However, the seriousness of its claim became evident in a matter of a few weeks when the terrorist attacks of the TTP in Pakistan intensified.

Since the TTP and its affiliated terror outfits were using Afghan soil before the Taliban takeover, for the discontinuation of which a commitment was given in the peace accord between the US and Afghan Taliban, the natural assumption was that the Taliban were not doing enough to keep up their commitment. In due course, a ceasefire was brokered by the Afghan Taliban between the state of Pakistan and the TTP, which the latter refused to honour because of its absurd demands: return of ex-Fata to its previous autonomous position and Sharia enforcement in the area, among a few others.

Each day since the release of Afghanistan from the clutches of US-led Western domination, attacks on Pakistan’s security and law enforcement agencies have increased manifolds. The attacks on the Chitral check-post and the Minawali airbase proved the deadline.

In response to every demand made to the Afghan Taliban to put a curb on the TTP activities, Pakistan was asked to “look inward”. In September this year, Pakistan started the soul-searching activity as was prescribed by the Afghan Taliban. The Afghan footprints were not only found in activities aimed at destabilising Pakistan’s security machinery, they were also present in the vast network of smuggling being carried out in most of the urban cities of Pakistan. Further soul-searching also revealed that the burden of the Afghan refugees had awfully impacted Pakistan’s economic and social fabric.

Unless Pakistan wished to crumble under the weight of hospitality, it decided to repatriate all those Afghans who had been living in Pakistan as undocumented. Here begins the discontent part of the Pak-Afghan relationship.

Several times in the past, Pakistan has given opportunity to the Afghans living in Pakistan to register themselves with the Pakistan National Database and Registration Authority. While a few would follow suit, a considerable number of them preferred staying illegal. It is this phenomenon that is problematic for Pakistan’s security. It is this element that has been found linked to the Afghans’ involvement in terror activities in Pakistan.

Since August 2021, at least 16 Afghan nationals have carried out suicide attacks inside Pakistan while 65 terrorists, killed in encounters with security forces mainly in the bordering region, were identified as Afghans.

Without giving due credit for giving shelter to a large number of unregistered and hostile Afghans, the propaganda was drummed up against Pakistan for doing inhuman treatment to send the Afghans packing to their country. Nothing could be more absurd.

In fact, Pakistan has demonstrated great generosity in managing the Afghan refugee crisis.

The first sign of generosity is that Pakistan has not asked the 1.46 million Afghans with proof of registration cards and the 800,000 or so individuals holding Afghan citizen cards to return. Another act of generosity concerns Pakistan’s decision to “repatriate” and not “deport” the Afghans. Those who want to leave Pakistan voluntarily are given space and luxury to do that. Some 93% of those who have returned to Afghanistan have done so voluntarily. Last but not least, Pakistan has been generous in providing a safe and dignified exit to the illegal Afghans. Almost 79 transit centres were set up, providing free meals, shelter and medical facilities. Additional crossing points have been opened on the Pak-Afghan border to facilitate the processes. Security personnel are escorting the immigrants to border crossings, taking particular care of women and children. Emergency helplines are available to report any abuses.

Hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals entered Pakistan on the eve of the Taliban takeover, claiming that their lives were in danger. Pakistan took care of them. However, only 59,033 new arrivals have been resettled outside Pakistan, while 42,068 await evacuation to the west. The rest have failed to present a convincing case for asylum to anyone and continue to stay in Pakistan illegally. So, Pakistan continues to accommodate them, as well as the undocumented human rights activists, journalists and musicians.

Like all the other countries, especially in the West, who have taken a hardline in dealing with asylum seekers and migrants, Pakistan also has the right to “look inward” and “put its house in order first”. There is a limit to generosity. Right.

Time for Afghanistan to deal with their problems themselves.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2023.

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