Time Is Up: Millions Of Afghan Refugees In Iran, Pakistan Fear Return To Ba

[lem34]

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Time Is Up: Millions Of Afghan Refugees In Iran, Pakistan Fear Return To Battled-Scarred Country

By Palash R. Ghosh: Subscribe to Palash's RSS feed

June 20, 2012 10:35 AM EDT

For millions of Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan, as their legal rights to reside in these countries expire by the end of this year, they may be unwilling to return to their homeland battered by more than a decade of war.

In a global context, there are more displaced Afghans than any other nationality – and they are largely unwanted in their new environments. In fact, the United Nations estimates that almost one-fifth of all Afghans on the planet are displaced.

Over the past decade, about 5.5-million Afghans have returned home, but millions more live in refugee camps in Iran, Pakistan and elsewhere.
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Afghans have been fleeing their homeland in massive numbers since 1979 when Russian tanks invaded their mountainous nation. Over the next three decades, other cataclysmic developments, including war and the brutal reign of the Taliban, kept the exodus going in full gear.

In Pakistan alone, there are now at least 2.7-million Afghan refugees, only 1.7-million of whom are “registered” (meaning they have the legal right to temporary residence in the country).

Life for Afghans in Pakistan’s overcrowded and unsanitary camps is one of misery and fear.

Mohammed Nazar, an Afghan doctor who has lived in Pakistan for almost two decades, told Voice of America: “"There are no facilities for the children, there is no hygiene, no electricity, there are scorpions and snakes. We only have medicine for headaches. For anything else they go to the hospital."

One elderly Afghan refugee named Sana Gul complained VOA: "Every day [Pakistani] police come and ask us for money. Most of us don't have immigrant IDs, and if we refuse to pay them, they take us to the police stations and threaten to deport us, then we have pay them more."

However, as inhospitable as Pakistan may be, the security situation in Afghanistan is even worse. Moreover, many Afghan refugees have been in Pakistan so long, they know of no other place as home.

"We have no other choice. We have to live here," said Ghuluan Sarwar, an Afghan resident in Pakistan for 30 years. "We know we face a lot of problems here, but in Afghanistan there are more problems, like the Taliban, terrorism."

However, Shaukat Ullah, Pakistan’s Minister of States and Frontier Regions, whose government may extend the legal residency rights for some Afghan refugees, warned nonetheless that most of the refugees must return home soon.

"It's a big burden on our economy, we are facing that problem," he said.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it plans to help repatriate 150,000 Afghan refugees from Pakistan this year on a strictly voluntary basis.

Of course American puppet Karzai along with America and India will stabalise Afghanistan whilst Iran and Pakistan will have no say. Yes Obama do you have any brain cells left?

[Pakistanisage]

The Afghans do not stay because Afghanistan is dangerous. They stay because of the Economic reasons.

[Areesh]

"We have no other choice. We have to live here," said Ghuluan Sarwar, an Afghan resident in Pakistan for 30 years. "We know we face a lot of problems here, but in Afghanistan there are more problems, like the Taliban, terrorism."

But even when Pakistan is your only choice still you would won't refrain from spewing BS about Pakistan everywhere. Facepalm.

[TaimiKhan]

Afghans should be sent back asap, all trade with them closed, Afghan Transit cargo should be taxed inside pakistan, tax collected from the trade good should be transferred to Afghanistan, this way the smuggling would be checked and Pakistan will be saved from the billions its loosing on yearly basis.

With Afghans gone, lot of improvement will come in Pakistan.

Afghans should go and take the affairs of their country in their own hands and make a future themselves.

[Armstrong]

Afghans should be sent back asap, all trade with them closed, Afghan Transit cargo should be taxed inside pakistan, tax collected from the trade good should be transferred to Afghanistan, this way the smuggling would be checked and Pakistan will be saved from the billions its loosing on yearly basis.

With Afghans gone, lot of improvement will come in Pakistan.

Afghans should go and take the affairs of their country in their own hands and make a future themselves.

1) Are your sentiments representative of the majority of Pukhtoons ? Because if there are others like Monkey de Luffy...we might face a severe back-lash !

2) How many of these People have been actually born inside the borders of Pakistan ? What makes them any less Pakistanis then the rest of us ?

[Armstrong]

- double post -

[lem34]

Afghans should be sent back asap, all trade with them closed, Afghan Transit cargo should be taxed inside pakistan, tax collected from the trade good should be transferred to Afghanistan, this way the smuggling would be checked and Pakistan will be saved from the billions its loosing on yearly basis.

With Afghans gone, lot of improvement will come in Pakistan.

Afghans should go and take the affairs of their country in their own hands and make a future themselves.

they should go and vote for a leader that represents them instead of America

[samantk]

they should go and vote for a leader that represents them instead of America

Pakistan is partly responsible for the country's current situation... Now shrugging their refugees because they didn't chose either US or Pakistans strategic depth philosophy..

[lem34]

Pakistan is partly responsible for the country's current situation... Now shrugging their refugees because they didn't chose either US or Pakistans strategic depth philosophy..

If Americans were out they could go back. But no you Indians and Americans want to befriend Afghanis

Since when did Indians start speaking for Afghanis?

[TaimiKhan]

1) Are your sentiments representative of the majority of Pukhtoons ? Because if there are others like Monkey de Luffy...we might face a severe back-lash !

2) How many of these People have been actually born inside the borders of Pakistan ? What makes them any less Pakistanis then the rest of us ?

Educated pushtuns know how much damage Afghans have done to us, uneducated ones also know the fact, the pushtun factor might come into play to show solidarity, i have solidarity with the Afghans and their suffering, but we have suffered alot due to them also and suffering to this day, so enough is enough. They should go and take their destiny into their own hands and make Afghanistan their home.

[samantk]

If Americans were out they could go back. But no you Indians and Americans want to befriend Afghanis

nothing wrong with making friends... We are not present in a threatening way.. Why do you get threatened?

[Patriot]

We should round up all Afghans and ask India to accept them after all Indian loves Afghans.

[nick_indian]

Pakistan should send all the Afghans back , that would be the right thing to do . That way , some pressure may get built upon the Indian govt. to send all the Bangladeshis back from here as well .

[samantk]

Educated pushtuns know how much damage Afghans have done to us, uneducated ones also know the fact, the pushtun factor might come into play to show solidarity, i have solidarity with the Afghans and their suffering, but we have suffered alot due to them also and suffering to this day, so enough is enough. They should go and take their destiny into their own hands and make Afghanistan their home.

can you shed more light on the suffering part?

We should round up all Afghans and ask India to accept them after all Indian loves Afghans.

similarly you should take all the Kashmiris, last I heard you called them your brothers and sisters...

Don't be silly kid...

[lem34]

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1) Are your sentiments representative of the majority of Pukhtoons ? Because if there are others like Monkey de Luffy...we might face a severe back-lash !

2) How many of these People have been actually born inside the borders of Pakistan ? What makes them any less Pakistanis then the rest of us ?

Mrs B is one of them and she agrees. Send them back or if Indians want friends cos they have none in the neighbourhood send them to India