Afghan nationals fleeing homes once again

Having left after APS attack, some of them return for the second time

PESHAWAR: Hundreds of Afghan nationals who had fled Pakistan amid fears of a crackdown in the beginning of the year are once again crossing the Torkham Border into Pakistan.  

Speaking to The Express Tribune, a large number of Afghan refugees said deteriorating law and order, lack of civic facilities, devastated job economy and militancy have forced families to shift back to Pakistan.

“I see at least 150 families coming to Peshawar each day,” said a refugee who currently resides in K-P. “These poor people have to leave all their belongings behind to not invite suspicion since household items are banned as a measure to discourage migration of refugees into the country.”

 

He added that Afghan nationals have to undergo a process of migration twice in one year which is both arduous and distressing.

There are at least one million unregistered Afghan refugees living in Pakistan, with K-P housing, at least 45 refugee camps alone. However, majority of the refugees have moved out of these camps and purchased or rented houses in the cities or rural areas.

“These people left their homes in a state of panic, fearing a large scale crackdown after the attack on Army Public School in Peshawar,” another refugee explained. “Now they are in a hurry to come back to Pakistan due to the deteriorating law and order in Afghanistan.”

Another refugee said, “You need years to adjust in Afghanistan after living in the urban environment of Pakistan. One can survive in the rural areas of Afghanistan but it is mostly controlled by Taliban militants, who regularly extort money in the name of holy war. The authorities are even worse and they demand a share of their own.”

United Supreme Councils of Afghan Refugees President Haji Rehmatullah Momand said district nazim Azam Afridi assured them in 2001 that residents of Paktika, Kunar, Laghman and Ningerhar would be allowed to freely cross the border as this had been taking place for the past thousands of years. “We were assured that Pashto-speaking people would be facilitated while Persian-speaking people will be discouraged,” he said. “But that assurance is no longer effective.”

He added that moving to and fro was routine matter for refugees. Many Afghan nationals move to Peshawar during the winters and return to Afghanistan during the summers. “These are mainly rich traders who have a house in Abbottabad, Afghanistan as well as Peshawar,” he added.

Between 8,000 to 10,000 unregistered Afghan refugees cross Torkham Border every day.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2015.