I was reading up on them tonight instead of pulling my planned all-niter for tomorrow, and I was wondering what dev’t is there on this issue. Weren’t the refugees mandated to leave by 2009?
I’ve been reading dreadful stories of their suffering in Pakistan and their history of suffering under the Taliban, the wars before that, and their current problems in going back to Afghanistan.
Very sad story.
Any personal stories with Afghani refugees - stories specific to Pakistan? I’d like for this thread to stay here, not in world affairs, because I want this discussion to be from the point of view of Pakistan’s burden in dealing with the refugees and how Pakistan can improve their lives.
Yes it is very sad.
I wish pakistan could have done better for them, but again we also are a poor country. I also wished taliban were little more smarter, or little less moronic.
My girlfriend is an Afghan refugee however she and her family escaped to Germany through Russia.
Her parents walked but somehow managed to get her on a plane by changing her birth year.
I dont know the specifics, she doesnt like talking bout it much.
I'm not getting a clear idea on WHY they fled? I mean, was it just the soviet war in Afghanistan and was the env't of war at that time like it is now in Afghanistan? And naturally, the Taliban were very brutal to women and well, anyone else with 2 legs, but the stories of the Norhern Alliance are even worse according to some accounts. I just don't understand how bad it could have been for them that so many of them fled? Was the devil running around loose there? Some of the stories they recount of abuses from the Taliban or the Northern Alliance after the Taliban fell, etc are just too hard to believe! Why would you want to take over a country and abuse the heck out of your own people the way they were abused? I mean, heck, learn a thing or two from kameenay Pakistani politicians - just pocket some cash and walk away. What's with the widespread rapes and mutilations of the general public?
PCG it must be really really bad for them to make the decision to flee.
Why else would someone leave their home and its contents and make an unknown journey to a place where the future looks as hopeless as it is back at their homes other than the fact that they perhaps might end up living rather then being shot dead.
Its funny but half of the Afghan refugees/asylum seekers in England are of Pakistani origin. Their are big smuggling networks and somehow they use fake documents and end up coming to the West.
You should watch "IN THIS WORLD" its far better than Kite Runner. The latter contains a lot of political and ethnic stereotyping.
There are lots of Afghan refugees still within Pakistan and thy do add their colour and vibe to places such as Peshawar, Quetta, Islamabad. Some hav managed to inter-marry with Pakistani Pashtun and also non-Pashtun families. In a lot of areas Afghan refugees are doing the jobs Pakistani people wont do.
Some had a relatively easy transfer from Afghanistan to Pakistan while others had to eat grass to survive and suffered serious human rights abuses at the hands of Russians, opportunist Afghans and less so at the hands of Pakistani police.
The upper class departed first then I guess those lower down. I am not actually sure if the Taliban takeover created more refugees in any way - most Afghan refugees had arrived by then. 92-96 saw many people flee Kabul which was being bombed badly. 2001 saw more refugees arrive but eventually a fw went back. International oragnisations paid hundreds of dollars to Afghans to go back but most would take the money and sneak back over the border - bribing any security personnel and repeating it all again.
I hope this debate does not turn into a shall we send them back debate - tomorrow it could very easily be Pakistan that suffers the same.