Afghan refugees stuck in Pakistan await third country relocation

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of Afghan citizens who once held stable jobs and positions in Afghanistan have been forced to remain in Pakistan after their hopes of relocating to a third country faded following a policy shift in the US and other countries.

Many Afghans, who arrived in Pakistan in August 2021 following the Taliban's return to power, are now unable to move onward after the United States and other countries shifted their policies for the refugees and asylum seekers.

At Islamabad’s Argentina Park, nearly 300 Afghan families are currently living in makeshift conditions.

Among them is 24-year-old Samia from Baghlan city, who fled Afghanistan in February 2022 and now lives with her infant son, Daniyal, born in Pakistan.

Speaking to Geo News, she said: "We fled because our lives were at risk. Afghanistan had no future for our children, but here too, there is no place for us."

Several women who previously served in the Afghan police are also among the displaced.

Pari Noori, who worked for eight years, and Shehnaz Alizadeh, who served 14 years, both said life was stable before the Taliban takeover but deteriorated rapidly afterwards.

"We had jobs, financial stability, and security, but everything ended," Noori said.

Alizadeh alleged that after two years under Taliban rule, the threats and violence forced her to leave.

Many displaced Afghans in Islamabad say they are living between hope and despair, uncertain of their future, and continue to call for relocation to safer countries.

More than 1.3 million Afghans hold documentation known as Proof of Registration cards, while 750,000 more have another form of registration known as an Afghan Citizen Card.

Many Afghans have been settled in Pakistan since the 1980s, to escape cycles of war in Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, Pakistan issued a new call for Afghans living in the southwest to leave the country, triggering thousands to rush to the border, officials said.

A deportation drive first launched in 2023 was renewed in April when the government rescinded hundreds of thousands of residence permits for Afghans, warning them of arrests if they did not leave.

In total, more than one million Afghans have left Pakistan since 2023, including more than 200,000 since April.

The campaign targeted the more than 800,000 Afghans with temporary residence permits, some of whom were born in Pakistan or have lived here for decades.

The repatriation drive by Pakistan is part of a campaign called the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan launched in late 2023.

Iran has also launched a large-scale deportation campaign of Afghans, which has seen more than 1.5 million sent back across the border.

With additional input from AFP