Why does Pakistan show such kindness to Afghan refugees who do not return the sentiment?
I've always wondered why Pakistan hosts so many millions of refugees from Afghanistan.
For China, as a developing country we have to take care of our own people first. The world is full of suffering, but we have no capacity to take on refugees from all over the world, we are barely managing to take care of our own.
This is not the only issue, our proximity to Afghanistan means we also have huge numbers of Afghans who take part in petty crimes, theft, gang violence, sectarian violence, drug trade, plenty of addicts too, prostitution, weapons and other illicit trade and conduct. I think all in all, the damage done to Pakistan due to it's proximity to Afghanistan and it's unchecked border has cost us billions of dollars per decade. I would not be surprised if the opportunity cost, knock on effects would make a grand total of even a 100 billion dollars of damage to us.
There are some sections of our society tolerant of uncontrolled influx of refugees, and also a certain religious conservative element of our society also very accepting of our involvement in aiding them and their presence here. There are also the ethical and moral concerns everywhere. If I were able to transport my way of thinking back to 1979-1980, and not know what becomes of the situation later, at the start of the Soviet invasion I too would have been sympathetic to letting them in. And of course, they've been at non-stop war since 1979 and their country has destroyed in turn by every force imaginable. Now however, I do see some sense in controlling their numbers and how they stay here.I still don't feel at peace with any calls to simply throw them all out, no matter who they are, what they're like. That is harsh, there are plenty who've had generations born in our country, and some who've integrated well enough, it's against me completely to treat them like that.
Another huge issue is that the Afghan government and people do not recognize our borders with them and have at different times, laid claim to our territory, actively supported insurgents. Heck they protest whenever we build a fence or trench. Our leaders had failed to see at the time the kind of damage this unchecked border would do, but this really was a lifeline for the Afghans, their economy suffers if Pakistan closes them in.
Anyway, what you're saying is right, but it is also more complicated and far worse than most people know. Yet still, some humanitarian concern needs to be taken into account, and not all are like this.