Long Wait for Freedom: Afghan Refugees in Limbo in Pakistan

Afghan refugee children sit outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Azakhel Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Nowshera. FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP
Afghan refugee children sit outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Azakhel Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Nowshera. FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP
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Long Wait for Freedom: Afghan Refugees in Limbo in Pakistan

Afghan refugee children sit outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Azakhel Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Nowshera. FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP
Afghan refugee children sit outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Azakhel Voluntary Repatriation Centre in Nowshera. FAROOQ NAEEM / AFP

Abdullah was a well-known public figure in Afghanistan, a journalist and university lecturer respected by his readers and students.
In Pakistan, however, he is laying low -- worried about being caught in a deportation dragnet and after two years still waiting to be evacuated to the West, AFP said.
He fled Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to power in August 2021 on the advice of US officials and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), fearing retribution from the new authorities who, as a militant group, had a history of targeting journalists.
The 30-year-old crossed into Pakistan along with an estimated 600,000 other Afghans, with tens of thousands promised asylum in third countries.
But more than 345,000 Afghans have returned to their country or been deported since Pakistan in October ordered undocumented migrants or those who have overstayed their visas to leave.
"For fear of the police, I haven't left this room for 15 days," said Abdullah, using a pseudonym for security reasons.
"If I could have led a normal life in Kabul, I would have become a street vendor or shopkeeper. I would have preferred that to my current situation."
Rights groups have said many Afghans have been left in limbo -- their visas expired because of delays in the Pakistan registration system. Thousands are trapped in an interminable relocation process established by Western nations, which has significantly slowed.
Abdullah has a valid visa, but said armed police have twice raided his home.
"In Kabul, I was a journalist and university teacher. Here I've lost my identity," he told AFP from an apartment in Islamabad.
Since fleeing Afghanistan he has exchanged only two or three e-mails with US officials.
RSF has arranged an interview for him at the French embassy in Islamabad.
'Need to live'
Ahmed, a former British army interpreter in Afghanistan, was approved for evacuation two years ago yet remains stuck in an Islamabad hotel room paid for by the UK's diplomatic mission.
"I have been here more than 700 days," the 32-year-old said bitterly.
"I don't know the reason why the UK Government is doing injustice with me, why I have been stuck here. I need a life, I need education and I want to build my new home," said Ahmed, also using a pseudonym.
His Pakistan visa expired over a year ago, and he fears being deported to Afghanistan, even though Islamabad has pledged not to kick out people in his situation.

"When I text my caseworker, he's telling me: 'Be patient, be patient, be patient'," he told AFP.
"The worst word is 'Be patient'," said Ahmed, who is also supported by Sulha Alliance -- an association campaigning for Afghan interpreters who worked with the British army.
Many Afghan refugees, migrants and asylum seekers feel forgotten by the world, which has turned its attention to other crises, such as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
While Britain has welcomed 21,500 Afghans as part of its resettlement programs for former employees and people at risk, 70 percent of them arrived when Kabul was evacuated by the chaotic airlift that coincided with the Taliban takeover.
Only 175 people have been resettled in the first six months of 2023, according to the Migration Observatory, which analyzes UK Home Office statistics.
The United States has taken in 90,000 Afghans since August 2021 -- again, the majority from the evacuation of Kabul.
Precise data on Afghans in Pakistan awaiting resettlement abroad is not available, but British media have reported that more than 3,000 Afghans are in Islamabad awaiting evacuation, while the German foreign ministry said 1,500 Afghans approved for asylum are still in Pakistan or Iran.
About 20,000 people recommended for asylum by US officials, NGOs and American media outlets are waiting in Pakistan for their cases to be examined, according to Refugees International.
Despite assurances from the Pakistan government that legitimate cases will not be deported, there are exceptions.
Last month, seven members of one family waiting to be reunited with a relative in Spain were deported, according to the Spanish Commission for Aid to Refugees.
'State of uncertainty'
Women's rights advocate Afsaneh, who arrived in March 2022 when the Taliban authorities began rounding up activists, lamented the "state of uncertainty".
The 38-year-old's children were not allowed into the Pakistani school system and the visa for one of them has not been extended.
"It's near to two years... but still my case is not processed," said Afsaneh, whose name has also been changed by AFP.
"It's delayed by Pakistan and by the embassies, who are not taking serious action about those who are facing threats and risks," she said.
Afsaneh has applied to Germany, Spain and Canada for asylum, but only the latter has kept in touch.
The crackdown by Pakistan authorities does seem to have pushed some Western nations to speed up procedures.
At the end of October, Britain resumed evacuation flights that had been interrupted for several months.
"If they (the international community) want to support the Afghan people, they should prove it in action," pleads Munisa Mubariz, 33, a women's rights activist who hopes to leave for Canada soon.
"They should implement their commitment and their plan and their promises to these refugees



Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

 An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
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Trump Administration Cancels Travel for Refugees Already Cleared to Resettle in the US

 An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)
An Afghan refugee man, who asked not to use his name and not to show his face fearing his identity could lead to his capture, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP)

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a deadline next week suspending America's refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees who fled war and persecution and had gone through a sometimes yearslong process to start new lives in America are now stranded at various locations worldwide. That includes more than 1,600 Afghans who assisted America's war effort, as well as relatives of active-duty US military personnel.

President Donald Trump paused the refugee resettlement program this week as part of a series of executive orders cracking down on immigration. His move had left open the possibility that refugees who had been screened to come to the US and had flights booked before the Jan. 27 deadline might be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email dated Tuesday and reviewed by The Associated Press, the US agency overseeing refugee processing and arrivals told staff and stakeholders that "refugee arrivals to the United States have been suspended until further notice."

There are a little more than 10,000 refugees from around the world who had already gone through the lengthy refugee admission process and had travel scheduled over the next few weeks, according to a document obtained by the AP. It was not immediately clear how many of those had been set to arrive by upcoming deadline.

Among those are more than 1,600 Afghans cleared to come to the US as part of the program that the Biden administration set up after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Many veterans of America's longest war have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with, in addition to their families, find refuge in the US. Many were prepared for a suspension of the resettlement program but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.

"The Trump administration’s early pause of refugee flights is alarming, leaving thousands of Afghan allies in fear and uncertainty," said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. "We are ready to partner to fix this and urge clear communication with impacted families. Let’s honor our promises and uphold America’s values."

There is a separate path — the special immigrant visa program— specifically for Afghans who worked directly with the US government. VanDiver's group said that program, set up by Congress, did not appear to be affected at this time.

Trump's order signed Monday had given the State Department a week before it began to halt all processing and traveling. It appears the timing was moved up, though it was not immediately clear what prompted the change.

The State Department referred questions to the White House.

Agencies that help refugees settle and adjust to life in America have argued that this is the type of legal immigration that Trump and his supporters say they like and have pointed to the stringent background checks and sometimes yearslong wait that refugees endure before setting foot in America.

"This abrupt halt to refugee admissions is devastating for families who have already endured unimaginable hardship and waited years for the chance to rebuild their lives in safety," Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, head of Global Refuge, one of the 10 US resettlement agencies, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Refugees go through one of the most rigorous vetting processes in the world, and many are now seeing their travel canceled just days, or even hours, before they were set to begin their new lives in the United States," she said. "It’s utterly heartbreaking."

Refugees are distinct from people who come directly to the US-Mexico border with the goal of eventually seeking asylum. Refugees must be living outside of the US to be considered for resettlement and are usually referred to the State Department by the United Nations.

While the resettlement program has historically enjoyed bipartisan support, the first Trump administration also temporarily halted resettlement and then lowered the number of refugees who could enter the country annually.