The poor Afghan refugees who have left their homeland and are compelled to live in other countries have very uncertain and on some occasions even pathetic lives. The foreign lands have not always treated them with warm hugs; every now and then they have been the victims of discrimination and ill-treatment. Most of the Afghan refugees in the neighboring countries, especially in Iran and Pakistan have suffered the consequences of fluctuations in the way they are treated. Definitely, it has been generous of both the countries to compensate the Afghan refugees, who because of wars and instability left their dear homeland, but on certain occasions they have also displayed the attitude that have violated the rights of the refugees to a great extent.
Definitely, these countries have their own problems; they are developing countries and they have their own economic issues to face; however, they have been supported by international community and United Nations to assist the refugees and guarantee their rights under international law.
The refugees in Pakistan, recently, have been facing serious problems. Especially the Khyber Pakhtunkhaw (KPK) government, after the incident of the killing of innocent school children in Army Public School Peshawar, has been very harsh towards Afghan refugees. Alleging the involvement of certain Afghan refugees in the incident, the KPK government, since January this year, has been very active in compelling the refugees to leave Pakistan or even directly expelled them from Pakistani land. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Afghanistan has said that thousands of Afghan families are fleeing Pakistan to run away harassment by KPK police. In a statement, the IOM’s chief in Afghanistan – Richard Danzinger has mentioned that more than 22,000 undocumented Afghans flocked across the border at Torkham in January, 2015 alone, which is more than twice the figure for the whole of 2014. This clearly depicts the stance of the KPK government towards Afghan refugees, which is not acceptable by any standard. Even if certain culprits among the Afghan refugees were involved in the Peshawar incident, it does not, in any way, give the KPK government freehand to treat all the refugees alike. There are definitely, small children and women among these refugees and they do not deserve to be treated in such a harsh manner.
According to certain estimates there are about three million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan and out of these three million, more than one million are believed to be undocumented and do not have legal protections like the documented refugees and they are the most vulnerable ones. As they do not have legal protections, they bear the brunt of changing circumstances the most. Whenever, law enforcement agencies in Pakistan face any pressure, these refugees are the first to be victimized.
The sad story is that the Afghan refugees who return to Afghanistan do not have proper services and requirements available for them. The Afghan government is not in the position to completely absorb the returning refugees and would face immense pressure in order to provide compensations for them. IOM currently claims to be monitoring the return situation in Afghanistan along with the Afghan government, particularly with Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation. The Organization has deployed field monitors to Torkham to interview returning families and further assess the situation but post assessment would require practical measures and a lot of financial support and assistance from the international community.
It is also an undeniable fact that Afghan refugees have to return to their country some day. They cannot and should not be living away from their motherland forever; however, Afghan government at present is not in a situation to shoulder the responsibilities of all the refugees from Pakistan and even the undocumented refugees. Pakistani government in this regard should cooperate with Afghan government and make the return of the refugees possible step by step, giving Afghan authorities and international community and organizations enough time and capacity to handle the situation.
Pakistan authorities, in particular, Pakistani police should change its stance and behavior against the Afghan refugees. They have the responsibility to take care of the security situation but they do not have the right to harass or discriminate the Afghan refugees. Afghan people currently have concerns regarding the condition of their fellow countrymen in Pakistan. On Sunday, February 08, the Young Activists Network for Reform and Change (YANRC) urged the UN and other international organizations to clarify their stance over the ongoing harassment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Sayyed Maisam Ihsan, the spokesperson for the Network said in a statement that Pakistani security officials have been arresting innocent refugees from roads and streets and putting them behind the bars. He insisted that the Afghan government should take serious notice of the situation. He also claimed that over 3,000 Afghan refugees had been deported from Pakistan and that their harassment was against international norms and agreement between the government of Pakistan and the International Organization of Migration (IOM).
Similarly, Afghan Ambassador in Islamabad Janan Musazai held a meeting with Imran Khan and KPK Chief Minister Parvaiz Khattak and discussed the ongoing situation of Afghan refugees. Janan Musazia emphasized that the intensified deportation of the refugees and their harassment was a matter of concern and Imran Khan, in response, assured that police would no longer harass Afghan refugees in KPK province. He also assured that Pakistan would continue assisting and cooperating with their Afghan brethrens. He also directed the KPK government to make sure that Afghan refugees were treated in accordance with the law. He also directed the government to make arrangements for return of Afghan refugees.
Though the assurance by Imran Khan is an important development, assurances alone would not solve the issue. The most important step required at this moment is that both the countries must agree upon a particular strategy regarding the return of the refugees, keeping in consideration all the issues faced by Pakistani government to retain the refugees and all the difficulties faced by Afghan government in compensating for the requirements of the return of the refugees. It has to be taken care of that the return of the refugees must not turn into one of the most serious tragedies of the time.