Abstract :
Afghan refugees constitute the third-largest displaced population in the world today after Syria and Venezuela (UNHCR, 2022). Recurring natural disasters like earthquakes and droughts, chronic poverty, ethnic and religious persecution, and a state of perpetual war for the past forty years are the main factors that prompt Afghan citizens to seek refuge elsewhere. Refugee and migration movements have been commonplace in Afghanistan’s history. The Taliban takeover of 2021 exacerbated these pre-existing problems, engendering a dramatic increase in the migration of Afghans (Watch, 2021). This article provides an overview of the Afghan refugee crisis and attempts to trace the factors behind the protracted crisis with an emphasis on the resurgence of Taliban rule in 2021. Furthermore, the socio-economic conditions of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, one of the major host countries, are explored in the penultimate section. This article makes use of primary and secondary data from sources, including books, journals, and news reports to analyze the issue.
Keywords: Refugee, Taliban, Pakistan, Afghan
Introduction
Around 6 million of the 70.8 million displaced people around the world are Afghans (IDMC, 2022), and more than half of Afghan refugees are internally displaced (IDMC, 2022). As of late 2021, Afghanistan has more than five million internally displaced persons, the majority being women and children. In fact, the displacement crisis is concentrated within the country’s borders as the exodus of refugees to other countries is relatively low (IDMC, 2022). Many of them subsist in compromised living conditions and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Those moving out of the country seek refuge predominantly in neighboring Pakistan and Iran.
Reports indicate that more than 80 percent of Afghans who have fled their country reside in Pakistan and Iran, while international migration to western countries is much lower in contrast. Official estimates show as many as 1,425,500 registered Afghan migrants residing in Pakistan, in addition to one million unregistered migrants (Staff, 2021). The life of Afghan refugees in Pakistan is a matter of concern as many refugees experience injustice and discrimination in the host society.
Drivers of Afghan Migration.
The factors which persuade its citizens to flee Afghanistan include a wide range of social, economic, political, demographic, and environmental issues that have been prevailing for long. These conditions worsened as a consequence of the Taliban takeover in 2021, triggering a dramatic increase in the number of refugees. The retrogressive measures adopted by the Taliban government have nullified the progress gained by Afghanistan in recent decades. Women and girls are the worst affected as their rights to livelihood and education are severely curtailed, with the Taliban imposing a total ban on girls’ education and subjecting women to heavy restrictions at the workplace. (Peace, June 2021) Afghanistan has been ranked in The Global Peace Index among the world’s three least peaceful countries for the last ten years.
In 2021, the Index ranked Afghanistan the lowest, dubbing it the least peaceful country in the world, mired in wars, terrorism, and internal conflict. In the Human Rights and Rule of Law Index 2021, Afghanistan ranked 44th out of 173 countries with index points of 7.40. (Economy, 2021) “Afghanistan is marked by a history of conflict, which is interstate and intrastate, as well as non-state conflict. In particular, the increased resurgence of the Taliban in 2006 was accompanied by an increase in violence in the country. Combat-related deaths increased from 1,595 in 2005 to 29,940 in 2019. The internal conflict between the Taliban and the government has intensified since 2013 and was the deadliest conflict in the world in 2018. In addition, the Islamic State (IS) became active in the country in early 2015, leading to an increase in terrorist attacks, particularly in the capital Kabul. There are already first signs of increased terrorist activity in the country.” (Clara Albrecht& Britta Rude & Tanja Stitteneder, 2021, p. 51)
Afghanistan has historically been affected by ethnic conflict. Ethnic violence in Afghanistan reached unprecedented levels with the rise of the Pashtun- majority Taliban in the 1990s. The Taliban espoused Pashtun nationalism and carried out ethnic cleansing against other ethnic groups, particularly the Hazaras, Tajiks, and Uzbeks. (Times, 2001) The Taliban government of 2021 backed away from its promises of a more inclusive and tolerant rule as it continues to commit barbarous injustices against other ethnicities. According to Human Rights Watch, “in early October 2021, the Taliban and associated militias forcibly evicted hundreds of Hazara families from the southern Helmand province and the northern Balkh province. These evictions followed earlier evictions from Kunduz, Daikundi, Uruzgan, and Kandahar provinces.” (Malikzada, 2022)
As per estimates, almost 50 percent of the population lived below the national poverty line in 2020. The country had a GINI coefficient of 0.3, which indicated a relatively equitable distribution of wealth. But the return of the Taliban rule in 2021 aggravated poverty to such an alarming extent that 97 percent. Afghans are estimated to be at risk of extreme poverty by 2022. (UNDP, 2021) “According to a World Food Program survey, nine out of ten respondents suffer from food shortages (WFP 2021). In addition, food prices are rising dramatically. There are reports that the prices of flour, oil, gas, and beans have increased by 63 percent in one month (Save the Children 2021). Many public-sector employees have not received money for at least a month (Al-Arabiya News 2021), and the United Nations warns of a humanitarian disaster (UN News 2021).” (Clara Albrecht& Britta Rude& Tanja Stitteneder, 2021, p. 49)
Afghanistan is frequently exposed to natural disasters like droughts and earthquakes, and the country is ill-equipped to deal with them. Afghanistan ranks at 175 in the ND-GAIN Index 2019 (Gain-ND, copyright 2022) and is calculated to be the 12th most vulnerable country to climate change disasters. “The Afghan population is facing severe drought this year, similar to 2017 and 2018, with the last drought resulting in 13.5 million people suffering increased food shortages (Climate Change Project 2021).
Afghan refugees in Pakistan
The first major influx of Afghan refugees to Pakistan corresponded with the Saur Revolution in 1978. Pakistan’s current refugee population of 1,438,955 is almost entirely composed of Afghans. But in recent years, Pakistan has been adopting policies that seek to restrain Afghan immigration. For example, between early 2017 and January 2022, the country reportedly fenced around 90 percent of its border with Afghanistan, making formal and informal border crossings much more difficult. However, due to the ‘porous’ nature of the border, undocumented crossings continue to occur (AEAA, 2022).
Despite constant protests by Afghan refugees in crisis, the authorities have failed to pay heed to their demands. “The situation is more oppressive for families of more than four members as affordable rented housing is inaccessible to them. Furthermore, providing families with food and other necessities has become increasingly difficult as prices of essential commodities are soaring…The prevalence of corruption in the administrative setup of the UN High Commission for Refugees hinders asylum seekers from accessing appointments. For example, an appointment is possible with 200 USD, but someone who lacks the money has to wait for months with no certainty of an appointment” (Malikzada, 2022).
Afghans seeking asylum in Pakistan are vulnerable to extreme poverty and insecurity. They face a myriad of problems which include lack of food and shelter, lack of access to basic education and proper healthcare, and discrimination and harassment by local authorities. A constant risk of deportation looms large for undocumented migrants. A factor that worsens the plight of these refugees is the corruption and inefficiency of the UNHCR in Islamabad, which deters them from accessing welfare schemes.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, almost half of the Afghan refugees who are deprived of their rights to basic health and education are under 18 years of age. The report adds that 74 percent of the 2.8 million Afghan refugees estimated to be currently residing in Pakistan were born in Pakistan (International, 2022).
Conclusion
The political, social, and economic turmoil that ensued after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has worsened the already precarious economic conditions. Afghanistan has long been in the vortex of international military campaigns and ideological confrontations. This has led to chronic economic and political instability. The Taliban takeover, instead of stabilizing the situation, has exacerbated it. Internal and international agencies monitoring the situation unanimously state that the standard of living of the people has dramatically deteriorated. Malnutrition and poverty have become endemic. Occasional natural calamities like earthquakes have worsened the situation. Obviously, people look for ways to escape from the country, and thus legal, and not-so-legal ways are utilized by emigrants. The influx of refugees into neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran has exponentially increased. Eschewing the extremist positions and embracing moderation in policies by the ruling establishment may lead to an improvement in the life of the Afghan people.
References
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Tawafuddin Azimi is currently pursuing a Postgraduate Programme in International Relations and Politics at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. He has completed his Bachelor’s in Law and Political Science at the Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. During the six months internship with UNDP, he got well acquainted with legal procedures of investigation of crimes, prosecution process, examination and cross-examination of witnesses and the formalities associated with judgments and decrees issued by courts. He has worked on the staff of the Bamiyan Attorney. He is a voracious reader and has a keen interest in studying international relations, gender justice issues and political developments.