100,000 Afghan refugees return from Pakistan: UNHCR

[nadeemkhan110]

PESHAWAR: More than 100,000 Afghan refugees have been repatriated from Pakistan since July, UNHCR officials said Thursday, the highest number since the fall of the Taliban saw a flood of people cross the border in 2002.

The majority of the refugees crossed in July and August, Qaisar Khan Afridi, spokesman UNHCR at the Voluntary Repatriation Centre outside the northwestern city of Peshawar, near the Afghan border, told AFP.

In the six months prior to that just 7,000 refugees crossed back into Afghanistan, according to UNHCR figures.

Pakistani officials said the increase came after they vowed to tighten border controls, particularly at the porous Torkham Gate crossing.

However, UNHCR cited an array of other reasons that could be helping drive the rush back into war-torn Afghanistan, including increasing anxiety and insecurity for refugees about life in Pakistan.

Pakistan is home to 1.5 million registered and about as many undocumented Afghan refugees, with growing insecurity in Afghanistan impeding voluntary return programmes.

But UNHCR said refugees are increasingly anxious about their future in Pakistan.

In June, Islamabad granted Afghan refugees an extra six months to remain in Pakistan as authorities stepped up efforts to work with the UN and Kabul to relocate camps to Afghanistan. Fears are growing that the December deadline will be final.

A security crackdown against undocumented foreigners has also contributed to the decision to leave, despite assurances from Pakistani authorities that refugees with the correct documents will not be subject to arrest or deportation.

Other factors include the UNHCR decision to double its cash grant for voluntary returnees from $200 to $400 per individual in June, and a campaign by the Afghan government to lure its citizens back with the slogan "My country, my beautiful country".

An AFP team in Peshawar saw thousands of men, women and children waiting their turn for verification at UNHCR’s Voluntary Repatriation Centre in the suburbs of Peshawar this week.

Afridi said they expect even more after the religious feast of Eid al-Azha next week, adding that UNHCR plans to open another repatriation centre in Peshawar to cope.

The vast majority of those returning had been living in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital.

The rest were repatriated from southwestern Balochistan province.
Source: https://www.geo.tv/latest/114091-100000-Afghan-refugees-return-from-Pakistan-UNHCR

 

[Thorough Pro]

I really feel sad to see so many people suffering so much in this day and age. It hurts to see young and old struggling for basic things which are taken for granted by a vast majority in this world, and I blame both (Karzai and Ghani) Afghan governments for their misery. Had they not lap danced to opportunist, ride-the-weak Indians, these people would have been in a much better state.

Having said that, we Pakistanis feel for their pain and misery but can not help then anymore. We love our country and we have to do whatever it takes to make it safe and secure for it's citizens. We tried to help the Afghans, we took them in when india was lap dancing to Soviets and voting against every resolution passed in UN to resolve Afghan issue, and now these Afghans have forgotten who fed them for 35 years and who stabbed them at every opportunity.

We are sad to see Afghans suffer, but then Stupid do suffer.

 

[MomandKhan]

I really feel sad to see so many people suffering so much in this day and age. It hurts to see young and old struggling for basic things which are taken for granted by a vast majority in this world, and I blame both (Karzai and Ghani) Afghan governments for their misery. Had they not lap danced to opportunist, ride-the-weak Indians, these people would have been in a much better state.

Having said that, we Pakistanis feel for their pain and misery but can not help then anymore. We love our country and we have to do whatever it takes to make it safe and secure for it's citizens. We tried to help the Afghans, we took them in when india was lap dancing to Soviets and voting against every resolution passed in UN to resolve Afghan issue, and now these Afghans have forgotten who fed them for 35 years and who stabbed them at every opportunity.

We are sad to see Afghans suffer, but then Stupid do suffer.

And you supported the Taliban and still support the Taliban which has cost and still cost many Afghans their life.

 

[The Diplomat]

And you supported the Taliban and still support the Taliban which has cost and still cost many Afghans their life.

Just like Ashraf Ghani?

 

[maximuswarrior]

And you supported the Taliban and still support the Taliban which has cost and still cost many Afghans their life.

You support the Northern Alliance who brutally kill your own people. You grow opium which has destroyed your economy. You are tribal. Stop blaming others for your own recklessness.

We don't want haters on our soil. Go to India.

 

[Side-Winder]

We have had a good news now here is the Bad News - Their stay has been extented until 31st March 2017

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1179198/government-extends-afghan-refugees-stay-early-2017/

 

[MomandKhan]

You support the Northern Alliance who brutally kill your own people. You grow opium which has destroyed your economy. You are tribal. Stop blaming others for your own recklessness.

We don't want haters on our soil. Go to India.

I am not in Pakistan. BTW Geert Wilders want you out of the Netherlands as well. Why don't you go back to your own country?

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

And you supported the Taliban and still support the Taliban which has cost and still cost many Afghans their life.

Half of your Government at one time supported the Talis.

We support them because they were Pashtuns (who have cultural and ethnic links to Pakistan) - and we needed the majority in control - not the otherway around.

Support ceased by 2001 - with rogue groups still supporting them.

 

[maximuswarrior]

I am not in Pakistan. BTW Geert Wilders want you out of the Netherlands as well. Why don't you go back to your own country?

I don't burn the Dutch flag. Neither do I throw stones at the Dutch border like Afghans do in Pakistan. I pay my taxes. I don't make false claims about a Dutch province belonging to Pakistan. Neither do I resort to criminality. I respect the rules of my host country. A country where I was born and bred. A country that gave me everything. Your countrymen are renowned for terrible behavior in Pakistan. Also, Geert Wilders and his thug supporters are a fringe minority. The vast majority of Dutch people don't appreciate nor share his stance. On the contrary, most Pakistanis want the majority of criminal and hateful Afghans out of their country. Who can blame them? Learn to make the distinction.

Tell your countrymen to go to India who is their savior. Again, we don't want Afghan troublemakers in Pakistan.

 

[Khan_21]

I am not in Pakistan. BTW Geert Wilders want you out of the Netherlands as well. Why don't you go back to your own country?

There is a difference between an immigrant and a refugee. 99 % of Pakistanis abroad are immigrants (students/business/tourists/dual citizens) that contribute alot to the local economy.

Afghans on the other hand are 99 % refugees abroad .

 

[!eon]

And you supported the Taliban and still support the Taliban which has cost and still cost many Afghans their life.

Afghan govt is responsible for all the sufferings of these poor folks. They will not find any easy life in Afghanistan and they lost everything they had in Pakistan.
Afghan govt have not let them live in peace in Pakistan. They induct and hire for NDS and RAW among them. The Afghan govt never thought what these refugees have to pay for this act of theirs.
There might be one out of hundred is agent of RAW and NDS but there's no way to scan out that one ugly bitch, and all have to suffer.

 

[Flash_Ninja]

It's sad for the people, but Afghanistan has had plenty of time to prepare for this, extension after extension, and they have done very little to prepare for their own people returning to their land.

Hard to feel sympathy for the Afghan Govt, they couldn't have expected the refugees to stay in Pakistan forever.

 

[MomandKhan]

I don't burn the Dutch flag. Neither do I throw stones at the Dutch border like Afghans do in Pakistan. I pay my taxes. I don't make false claims about a Dutch province belonging to Pakistan. Neither do I resort to criminality. I respect the rules of my host country. A country where I was born and bred. A country that gave me everything. Your countrymen are renowned for terrible behavior in Pakistan. Also, Geert Wilders and his thug supporters are a fringe minority. The vast majority of Dutch people don't appreciate nor share his stance. On the contrary, most Pakistanis want the majority of criminal and hateful Afghans out of their country. Who can blame them? Learn to make the distinction.

Tell your countrymen to go to India who is their savior. Again, we don't want Afghan troublemakers in Pakistan.

We don't want Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Who are we? Are you Pakistani or Dutch? And suddenly you become an individual? No more generalization when it comes to yourself?
You respect the Dutch rules? And their culture?
Why is Geert Wilder and his followers thugs? You sound exactly like them.

Muslim is vest are bringing their own culture to their new homes. They don't respect their rules and often take advantage of the system. In countries like Pakistan you cannot preach other religions, but you go to countries like Holland and open mosques. Men can have girlfriends and have sex with their women, but "our" girl should go with hijab etc. Speciel rules like Halal meat. Most are on social welfare benefits. Over represented in crime statistics. Wilders don't care about you are Pakistan, Irani etc. They just want you to leave. Pakistan is a peaceful country why don't you go back? You have taken some native person's job.

 

[Thorough Pro]

Do you even know the how and when Taliban came to be?

We supported, gave refuge to, fed, educated, took care of afghans, Taliban came to be after withdrawl of soviet forces and due to internal fighting and conflicts between different sections of afghans, barbaric torture and abuse of afghans at the hands of northern alliance war lords, Rashid dostum to be exact (nothing to do with Pakistan). So to start with Taliban were nothing but unified afghan nationals who stood against unrest and tyranny of northern alliance thugs.

And you supported the Taliban and still support the Taliban which has cost and still cost many Afghans their life.

Maybe because he is not an illegal and he does not hate them like you afghans, whose three generations were born and raised in Pakistan but you still hate us and help our enemy india (which never helped you when you were dying and needed it most) to carryout terrorist activities in Pakistan.

I am not in Pakistan. BTW Geert Wilders want you out of the Netherlands as well. Why don't you go back to your own country?

 

[el che]

I really feel sad to see so many people suffering so much in this day and age. It hurts to see young and old struggling for basic things which are taken for granted by a vast majority in this world, and I blame both (Karzai and Ghani) Afghan governments for their misery. Had they not lap danced to opportunist, ride-the-weak Indians, these people would have been in a much better state.

Having said that, we Pakistanis feel for their pain and misery but can not help then anymore. We love our country and we have to do whatever it takes to make it safe and secure for it's citizens. We tried to help the Afghans, we took them in when india was lap dancing to Soviets and voting against every resolution passed in UN to resolve Afghan issue, and now these Afghans have forgotten who fed them for 35 years and who stabbed them at every opportunity.

We are sad to see Afghans suffer, but then Stupid do suffer.

A lot of the Afghan refugees may be honest, hard working and contribute to the economy. Steps like this may antagonise them as well. Pakistan has a long unstable border with Afghanistan. 100000 angry Afghans who will lose everything can cause serious problems for Pakistan. Fencing cannot be a solution for such a long border and terrain