Pakistani Workers' Land Of Opportunity: Afghanistan?

[Rig Vedic]

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Pakistani Workers' Land Of Opportunity: Afghanistan?

May 18, 2011


A Pakistani worker labors on a machine in a factory in Kabul, producing boots for the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army. Higher wages and, in some cases, better security in Afghanistan have drawn workers from Pakistan


It's not unusual for laborers the world over to cross borders, sometimes illegally, to find a safer environment and better wages. But it is strange when their land of opportunity is Afghanistan.

It may be a sign of economic and political instability in neighboring Pakistan that manual laborers are sneaking across into Afghanistan, where wages are double and, in some cases, security is better.

That level of desperation has many fearing that Pakistan may be holding on to stability just as tenuously as Afghanistan.


Day Laborers

Afghanistan's capital city, Kabul, is growing faster than the government can measure — mostly in the form of big concrete and brick buildings. But an increasing number of the laborers on the buildings aren't from there.

Enya Atullah, an Afghan working on the precarious fourth floor of a new building, says he knows Pakistani day laborers will do his job for less.

They've ruined our work, Atullah says in Pashto. He says he doesn't make enough because he has to compete with Pakistani laborers, and he hopes the government will come up with a policy to stop them from coming into the country.

An official from the Afghan Ministry of Labor said he had no idea how many Pakstanis are working in the country illegally, and he frankly admitted that the government has almost no control over individuals who cross the border. Most of them are Pashtuns, and they have ethnic and family ties that straddle the frontier.

Of course, Afghan contractors don't mind the migrants, according to one businessman who gave his name only as Amin. Pakistani laborers will work day or night for about half the price of Afghans.

"Pakistani people [are] taking less money than Afghan people," Amin says. "In this case, everybody [chooses] the Pakistani workers, and also maybe they are working during night. All the time, if you are paying money, they are working."

Amin admits to some smugness that Afghanistan, which saw millions of refugees flee to Pakistan during the 1980s, is now in a more advantageous position. It's not so satisfying on the other side.

Uncertainty In Pakistan

It's bad at home, says Azizullha, who uses only one name. He's from Bajur, one of Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal areas on the Afghan border. He has been working as a mason in Afghanistan for about three months.

Things are so bad in Pakistan, Azizullha says, that if you get out of the city, there is fear of kidnapping, security is bad and, of course, there are no jobs.

Azizullah says there were foreigners in his home village — by which he probably means al-Qaida and Taliban fighters who cross the border into the Afghan province of Kunar to fight. He says the Pakistani army cleared them out for the most part, but Kabul still feels safer, and he can earn money to support his wife and kids back home.

Azizullah says he feels no certainty about the way Pakistan is headed. In that, he shares the same sentiment as many in Islamabad, Kabul and Washington, D.C.

Pakistani Workers' Land Of Opportunity: Afghanistan? : NPR

[Karachiite]

Then kick these millions of Afghans who are here illegally and are refugees. If Afg is so safe then please gtfo my Pakistan and especially Islamabad and Karachi where they are spewing in.

[Karachiite]

How rude they are giving you jobs and high wages and you are behaving like this. Also don't forget that you gets billions of dollar as aid/donation because of them. So please be civil.

What aid are you talking about what jobs and high wages? One Pakistani gets a job at a factory in Kabul and all you bhartis start getting boners.
Don't forget your father Israel gets much more aid and billions of dollars plus weapons from your other father America.

Btw great source lmaooo, I can't believe I took this news seriously.

[iajdani]

Now Afhganistan complaining about Illegal Immigrant as like as India... Muahahahahahah


These people dont have any shame..

[Prateek M]

sometimes we should put our ego aside, if Kabul is providing jobs to Pakistan and helping common unemployed people then those living in the comfort of their bungalow should not oppose ..

[Patriot]

How rude they are giving you jobs and high wages and you are behaving like this. Also don't forget that you gets billions of dollar as aid/donation because of them. So please be civil.

Then why do you about Arabs whey then shove a danda up indian's a$$?None the less even if Pakistan is nuked even then it will be much better then Afghanistan.Of course our governement has no government backbone and these idiot pukthuns treat these afghans as their brother so as far i am concerned all people of KP and can go to Afghanistan.

[Prateek M]

Given a chance Afghanistan has lots of scope to develop... and its good that they they are helping their neighbours...

god bless Afghanistan

[iajdani]

Given a chance Afghanistan has lots of scope to develop... and its good that they they are helping their neighbours...

god bless Afghanistan

When a country cant govern itself and sometimes had to call Soviets, sometimes americans, sometimes Pakistani, and at last Indians to take care of themselves.. I doubt that country can progress.

Developing a country is not just a cake walk when there is no forseable income from industry, petroleum, or human resources. Aid and Grant can just let somebody to get by nothing else.

[Meengla]

I am very sorry Afghans had to suffer so much because of outside proxy wars. I truly am.
But...even in the best of times, pre 1979, Afghans achieved so little while Pakistan excelled. The difference is obvious even now.
Those Pakistanis going there are now there because of the American money pumped in. Good for them and good for Afghans. But, probably, for every Pakistani going to Afghanistan there are a 10,000 who work/want to work/live in Pakistan.
Most of Afghanistan was a giant version of Pakistan's FATA--even in the best of times.

[Abu Zolfiqar]

due to ethnic and linguistic similarities especially in north, cross border movements and trade have been going on for generations after generation. In Afghanistan, the development is quite uneven and infrastructure building outside of Kabul is still in embryonic stages. More % of the coalition funds is going towards setting up factories and other things in Afghanistan; whereas in Pakistan the money is always squandered by the bloody civilian politicians

Im actually happy about this news. It shows that 5 million Afghans no longer need to live off the fat of our land, and can go home now and contribute towards their own country

Afghan economy cannot even survive without Pakistan and in fact, Pakistan has suffered more due to concessions given to Afghanistan --and due to selfish domestic commodity producers who herd off large supplies across the border while domestic consumers suffer. This was especially the case during the wheat and sugar crises which took place a couple years back

we've always given given given to Afghanistan and never received anything in return

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Then kick these millions of Afghans who are here illegally and are refugees. If Afg is so safe then please gtfo my Pakistan and especially Islamabad and Karachi where they are spewing in.

even Rawalpindi in the outskirts you can see them. . .

in Karachi, I hate to say it --they are nothing but bad news. They bring their trouble with them.


Iran was smart. Kept them in enclaves and compounds. We are just too generous and allow them 100% free movement in our beloved country. In Peshawar, a lot of the shop-owners and merchants complain because they come to our turf and take all the jobs and introduce their burqa culture

[somebozo]

There is very little deifference between Pakistan and Afghanistan. One man can cross a border and be a Pakistan and then Afghani next day.
I reckon there might be many already with two passports undeclared.

If Afghanis who have litterally plundered Pakistan since the soviet times, put its existence to stake and destroyed out repo with their drug trade, have a problem with Pakistan workers then we have even a bigger problem with their exports crossing our border especially exports to India. We shall impose a duty of 200% along with fuel surcharge, road repair free and jobs for local truckers.

Enya Atullah, an Afghan working on the precarious fourth floor of a new building, says he knows Pakistani day laborers will do his job for less.

They've ruined our work, Atullah says in Pashto. He says he doesn't make enough because he has to compete with Pakistani laborers, and he hopes the government will come up with a policy to stop them from coming into the country.

The Afghans have been doing this for years in Pakistan and those so called Pakistan could actually be Afghanis on Pakistan identities. How about we bill them 20 years of income taxes as illegal workers along with penalites. Everyone knows nobody can survive in Afghanistan unless he is an Afghani-Pakistan or a member of a tribe spread both side of the border.

We made a mistake in perserving Afghan identity of there, we should have handed them the passports and forcefully nationalized so today we will have 20-30 "Pakistanis" hedging our levrage in Afghan politics.

Afghanistan is Pakistan! Period.!


I hardly care about pathetic comments in this article, I have many Afghani friends whose father arrived during the soviet invasion, they were born and wed in Pakistan and they are proud Pakistanis to beging with as well Afghanis.

Im gonna meet a bunch of them at upcoming exhibition.


And NPR is a heavily funded white house propoganda wing..even today in Karachi and Islamabad, thousand of Afghanis are desperatley trying to get hands on Pakistani CNIC or Passports to better their economic conditions.

[ramu]

It's bad at home, says Azizullha, who uses only one name. He's from Bajur, one of Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal areas on the Afghan border. He has been working as a mason in Afghanistan for about three months.

Things are so bad in Pakistan, Azizullha says, that if you get out of the city, there is fear of kidnapping, security is bad and, of course, there are no jobs.

Nothing unusual. Can happen anywhere, where the rule of law cannot be enforced. There are places in my country where the security is questionable. The article may for good measure exaggerated. However, foreigners who come to Pakistan hire private armed body guards just in case.

[Mabs]

Pick up any Pakistani newspaper and you would see adds for jobs in Afghanistan. Why the hell do they advertise in Pakistani newspapers? It's not because Pakistani labor or professionals come cheap, but because they are more skilled and in abundance in Pakistan. No matter how affected by the current circumstances of the country, Pakistan has a large and developed skill force, which as far as i know is hired for higher wages to work in Afghanistan. A multinational offered me to work in Kabul for their Afghanistan operations, but i refused since I like the thrill of the uncertainty and insecurity of Pakistan, compared to the calm and serenity which is flowing from all directions in Afghanistan.

[somebozo]

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Pick up any Pakistani newspaper and you would see adds for jobs in Afghanistan. Why the hell do they advertise in Pakistani newspapers? It's not because Pakistani labor or professionals come cheap, but because they are more skilled and in abundance in Pakistan. No matter how affected by the current circumstances of the country, Pakistan has a large and developed skill force, which as far as i know is hired for higher wages to work in Afghanistan. A multinational offered me to work in Kabul for their Afghanistan operations, but i refused since I like the thrill of the uncertainty and insecurity of Pakistan, compared to the calm and serenity which is flowing from all directions in Afghanistan.

Isnt afghanistan being pounded by AQ, Taliban, NATO and US Allies day and night in a tit for tat war? Talk about security?

A certain %% of jobs in Afghanistan shall be reserved for Pakistanis as a leverage against economic impact and lost oppurtunities considering the situation in Pakistan today is due to nasty wardlord mentality of Afghan factions since the soviet withdrawl.