“I’m scared,” Nabila cries.
The 10-year-old’s world is confined to the dirt road outside her Islamabad one-bedroom house. Her local school stopped admitting Afghan refugees without a legitimate Pakistani birth certificate, so she hasn’t been able to go since December. Nabila, however, claims she wouldn’t attend even if she could.
Her friend’s family was deported back to Afghanistan, and she recalls, “I was off sick one day, and I heard police came looking for Afghan children,” she sobs.
All Afghans in this post have had their names changed for their safety.
Afghan refugee deportations, arrests, and detentions are on the rise in Pakistan’s capital and nearby city of Rawalpindi. Over half of the three million Afghans living in the nation are thought to be undocumented. Due to almost daily police raids on their homes, many people report living in perpetual fear. Families are forced to make the tough decision to either hide or run the risk of being deported to Afghanistan, where their future is uncertain.
How Does Pakistan Feel About Afghan Refugees?
Some Afghan refugees, including those on a previously stopped US resettlement program, fear for their lives if they return to Afghanistan. However, the poor pace of relocation initiatives has angered Pakistan. Officials contend that the international community has not done enough to assist Pakistan in managing the situation and that the cost of housing Afghan refugees has been enormous.
According to reports, 930 people were deported to Afghanistan in the first half of February alone, which is double the number from two weeks prior. It is concerning to note that at least 20% of those deported possessed official UN Refugee Agency papers, indicating that they were deemed to require international protection. Concern over the treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan has grown internationally as a result of the sharp rise in deportations.
Afghan refugees are not officially recognized in Pakistan, which is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention. With a deadline of March 31 for those without valid visas and June 30 for those with resettlement letters, the government insists that its laws apply to all illegal foreign immigrants.
How Are Families in Afghanistan Handling Uncertainty?
Fear and confusion are consuming many Afghan refugees. Families have limited options because to the challenging visa application process. Knowing that any contact with the authorities could result in deportation, Nabila’s family has decided to remain in hiding.
Hamid, her father, who was in the Afghan military prior to the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, is depressed.
“After serving my nation, I am now worthless. I’m doomed because of that job,” he says, sobbing.
His family is not on a resettlement list and does not have any visas. No one answers their calls to refugee agencies. They are constantly afraid because they have few options and no official protection.
Afghan refugees are urged to return by the Taliban regime, which says they may “live in the country without any fear.” These guarantees are called into question, nevertheless, by a 2023 UN report that details hundreds of murders of former military troops and government officials in spite of a widespread amnesty.
These guarantees hold little significance for Nabila’s family. When authorities are around, they flee and hide. In an effort to prevent deportation, neighbors offer refuge to one another.
More than 1,245 Afghan refugees were arrested or jailed in Pakistan in January, which is more than twice as many as the previous year.
Nabila begs, “Don’t force Afghans to leave their homes.” “We didn’t choose to be here. We had no choice but to be here.
What Impact Does Deportation Have on Afghan Families?
Their home is filled with a profound sense of grief. Families that have lived in Pakistan for years or even decades are now uprooted and parted from their loved ones.
“I had a friend who was here and then was deported to Afghanistan,” stated Maryam, Nabila’s mother. She resembled a mother or sibling. It was a tough day the day we parted ways.
When asked what she hopes to pursue as a career, Nabila boldly answers, “Modelling.” The tension briefly subsides as smiles flood the room.
Other profession options, such as engineer or lawyer, are softly whispered by her mother. However, because of the Taliban’s prohibitions on girls’ education, Nabila’s desire of becoming a model is out of the question, and even her mother’s recommendations would be practically difficult to implement. Children of Afghan refugees are growing up without access to quality education, which will limit their options in the future.
Why is Pakistan retaliating against refugees from Afghanistan?
Although Pakistan has a history of taking in Afghan refugees, tensions between the two countries have increased as a result of an increase in cross-border attacks. The Taliban administration disputes Pakistan’s claim that these attacks were carried out by Afghan-based insurgents. 836,238 people have been returned to Afghanistan under Pakistan’s “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan” since September 2023.
Some Afghan refugees are being detained in Islamabad’s Haji camp amid the deportations. Ahmad’s ambitions were crushed when a US resettlement program that he was a part of came to an end.
He got a call one day when he was shopping. “Baba, the police are here,” said his three-year-old daughter on the call. They arrived at our door.
Unwilling to abandon his family, Ahmad hurried home. For three days, he was arrested and kept in “unimaginable conditions.”
“We were given one blanket per family, one piece of bread per day, and our phones were confiscated,” according to him.
Although attempts to visit the Haji camp to confirm these stories were hindered, authorities deny maltreatment.
What Choices Are Available to Afghan Families?
Some families have left Rawalpindi and Islamabad because they fear being detained or deported. Others, stranded in a perilous situation with no way out, simply cannot afford to leave.
One woman relocated to Attock, which is 80 kilometers west of Islamabad, while she was in the last phases of the US resettlement procedure.
Her words, “I can barely afford bread,”
She was interviewed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in early January, according to documents. She still has to deal with police raids almost every day, though.
Many Afghan refugees are feeling depressed and unclear of where to turn for assistance as a result of the ongoing instability.
Regarding Afghan refugees in US resettlement channels, a representative for the US embassy in Islamabad claims that they are in “close communication” with Pakistan.
A woman is waiting eagerly outside the Haji camp. Despite having a valid visa, her sister does not, and she and her kids have been held within the camp. She sobs at being denied the opportunity to see them.
“Why would I come here if my country was safe? We can’t live in peace even here.”
She points to her daughter, who is seated in their vehicle. In Afghanistan, where it is illegal for women to speak or sing outside of their homes, the young girl was a singer.
She’s asked, “Do you still sing?” She looks at nothing. “No.”
Afghan refugees in Pakistan are caught between their native country, which no longer seems like home, and their hostile host nation. As deportations continue, many are forced to live in concealment and fear the worst every day, leaving their futures uncertain.
