Islamabad, July 15 (IANS) Afghan refugees in Pakistan’s Peshawar said that their lives have collapsed into a cycle of daytime labour and nighttime fear due to police raids, economic strain and lack of legal documents, according to a latest report.
Many Afghan refugees said that they work for long hours but get minimal pay and then hide in graveyards, half-built buildings or open fields to avoid arrest.
Afghan refugee in Peshawar said, “We leave early in the morning to look for work. But at night, out of fear of the police, we sleep in graveyards, half‑built buildings, or open places. This life is very hard.”
Refugees said that they live in constant fear as police operations have increased in recent months.
“When we go to work, we are always afraid that we will be arrested on the way. Sometimes we even lose work because people don’t hire us — they fear the police will come after them for employing Afghans,” Afghan Diaspora Network quoted another person as saying.
One of the young Afghan construction workers said, “We work 10 or 12 hours every day, but the income is still not enough to pay rent, food, and other expenses. If we can’t pay rent, the landlord throws us out.”
A 60-year-old refugee, who has lived in Pakistan for over 20 years, said that they fear being arrested or expelled at any moment.
One Afghan woman said that their biggest worry is their children, as they cry out of fear when they hear about police operations and don’t understand why they keep shifting from one place to another or why they cannot lead a peaceful life.
Many Afghan refugees in Peshawar, who do not have legal documents, said that they cannot easily visit health centres, schools, or other essential services. Job opportunities have reduced for Afghans as employers do not hire them to avoid police scrutiny, Dawood Jabarkhail wrote in a report in Afghan Diaspora Network
Afghan refugees said that Pakistan’s approach in recent weeks has become more confrontational due to military airstrikes in Afghanistan that killed civilians and sparked widespread outrage.
Several Afghan refugees said that they hear remarks that frame them as “responsible” for Afghanistan’s instability or as “extensions” of the conflict. Afghan refugees said that they feel trapped between two dangers — violence in Afghanistan and persecution in Pakistan.
Afghan refugees urged Pakistani authorities to treat them as per the law and basic human rights principles. They also called on the United Nations, international aid organisations, and Afghan institutions to take their situation seriously and help in finding safe, dignified solutions for families who have lived through decades of instability and displacement, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network report.
Meanwhile, a total of 525 Afghan families were repatriated from Pakistan to Afghanistan as three refugee camps in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province have been completely vacated.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Umar Khittab Khan said that the phased repatriation of Afghan refugees was being conducted as per the orders issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Pakistan-based daily Dawn reported.
He stated that under this policy, 525 Afghan families residing in the refugee camps at Bizan Khel, Ghoriwala, and Mamand Khel were repatriated to Afghanistan through the Torkham border crossing.
According to the ADC, the authorities were now focusing on Afghan nationals who lived in rented houses, private residences in Bannu and other surrounding areas. He said that the records of Afghan nationals were being shared with their respective police stations and efforts were being made to conduct their early repatriation, Dawn reported.
–IANs
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