Over the past few weeks, photos of the drowned Syrian toddler and other crying refugees have melted hearts across the globe. These were followed by images of massive German crowds warmly welcoming Syrian refugees to bring them hope and restoring our faith in humanity. While the world closely follows developments in the European migrant crisis, it is important that we do not forget the protracted Afghan refugee problem.
The first wave of Afghan refugees settled in Pakistan during the Soviet war era of 1980s and, since then, an estimated three million Afghans have moved to the neighboring country. Decades of war and political instability have forced them to prolong their stay in Pakistan and Iran in search of a better future. Over the years, these refugees have assimilated in the Pakistani society but there seems to be a general perception that they are a burden on the country’s economy and refugee camps breed militancy. Therefore, Pakistan and other global agencies must make a genuine effort to safeguard their interests and ensure their rehabilitation based on humanitarian grounds.
As Afghanistan struggles to return to normality and violence resurges in the country, the Kabul government has requested Pakistan to grant a two-year extension in the stay of registered Afghan refugees. Under the National Action Plan (NAP) to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan, the Sharif government had decided to repatriate all Afghan refugees living in the country by end of 2015. The repatriation process was to begin with illegal Afghan refugees, but their return has been postponed till the end of this year as well.
The new Afghan government gives top priority to supporting the repatriation of refugees and their socioeconomic integration in the society. This stance has encouraged voluntary return of around 50,000 Afghans this year alone, but the progress remains too slow. The main challenge in safe repatriation of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan remains the dearth of funds. Currently, Afghanistan is in no shape to welcome such a large influx of its own people and a comprehensive mechanism to facilitate return of millions of Afghans remains to be worked out.
By playing a good host for over three decades to one of the largest refugee populations in the world, Pakistan has fulfilled its global commitments to a large extent. As the global refugee crisis remains under spotlight, this is perhaps the right time to remind the world of its commitment for Afghanistan. In the summer of 2008, global donors had pledged over $20 billion to support the Afghan National Development Strategy.
The plan was aimed at bolstering reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan to encourage safe return of Afghan refugees from the neighboring countries. The global community should meet its promises and help Afghanistan develop the capacity to absorb these displaced people by building civil infrastructure and addressing the issues of poverty and unemployment. In case such development is not fast-tracked and access to basic amenities of life remains a daily struggle, the refugees may feel better off living in camps across the border and Afghan refugee problem will linger on.
