Afghan returnees from Pakistan raise concerns about lack of shelter, need for winter assistance

Kabul, Nov 24 Several Afghan migrants who recently returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan have said that they are facing serious challenges ahead of winter season. They raised concerns about lack of shelter, the need for winter assistance, and difficulties in obtaining electronic ID cards (tazkira), the local media reported on Monday.

Abdul Baqi, one of the Afghan refugees who returned from Pakistan, stated, "Our main problem is that we have no shelter. When we return to the country, we don’t know where to go. We ask the Islamic Emirate to address our situation." They stated that the aid which is available is inadequate and mentioned that they still struggle to meet their basic living needs, leading Afghan media outlet Tolo News reported.

Afghan returnee, Abdul Bari, said, "Everyone knows most people are homeless, spending their days in the streets and along the roads." Abdul Malik, a returnee, said that they are asked to apply for electronic ID cards when they reach their provinces and urged the authorities to provide them ID cards.

Another Afghan refugee who returned from Pakistan, Abdul Qahar, urged Taliban government to provide them essential things like tents, shelter.

Previously, several Afghan refugees in Pakistan have said that they have been overwhelmed by continuous pressure from the country's police which, apart from conducting searches, is arresting people and exploiting their vulnerable situation as a source of income.

A report in Afghanistan-based newspaper 8AM Media, also known as Hasht-e-Subh Daily, highlighted that Afghan refugees in Pakistan do not have basic human rights and live in constant fear and anxiety. Human rights groups and refugee-support groups have remained silent regarding the uncertainty and the government's failure to fulfil its commitment about human rights and the protection of refugees.

Over the past few months, as tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan continue, Islamabad has increased its pressure on Afghan refugees with the Pakistani forces conducting widespread harassment of migrants each day in various areas, including Islamabad. Apart from official operations involving the arrest of Afghan refugees without visas, people in plain clothes extort money from migrants in residential areas. Afghan people have said that they live in inhumane conditions filled with fear and anxiety and their refugee rights are not respected.

"The situation is extremely distressing. I wish the official operations team would simply arrest and take people away. This method is not right; the police know no one will report them, so they come individually for searches. Several men in plain clothes lie in wait in the neighbourhood, grab someone, and take them away. It is unclear whether they are police, thieves, or cooperating with the police. Now, even if an ordinary person commits theft or kidnapping under the name of the police, people assume he is a police officer," quoted an Afghan national as saying.

"These individuals detain migrants in their personal vehicles; some are released on the spot after paying money, while others are taken to police posts. They are probably police themselves or collaborating with the police. The level of theft and robbery is extremely high, and no institution hears the people’s voices. The situation is deeply painful; a country that has no defender and whose citizens have no protection or credibility anywhere in the world," the refugee added.

Junaid, another refugee, recalled how he was stopped by a man in plain clothes a few nights back when he was going to buy something.

Recalling the incident, Junaid said, "He introduced himself as a police officer and asked for my visa. I asked: Who are you? He said he was police. I asked him to show his card. He treated me violently and said that if I talked too much, I would be arrested. I tried to resist, but then two other men arrived and told me to get into the car. I had to pay 15,000 rupees for my release. Now we do not know who is police are. It is clear they have realized that migrants have no one behind them and are using this situation to fill their pockets."

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor