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



After Harris’ Loss, Angry Democrats Blame Her Boss, Biden

A hand fan depicting US Vice President Kamala Harris lays on a sidewalk in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
A hand fan depicting US Vice President Kamala Harris lays on a sidewalk in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
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After Harris’ Loss, Angry Democrats Blame Her Boss, Biden

A hand fan depicting US Vice President Kamala Harris lays on a sidewalk in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
A hand fan depicting US Vice President Kamala Harris lays on a sidewalk in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)

Anger and soul-searching took hold of the Democratic Party early on Wednesday morning, after Vice President Kamala Harris suffered an election loss that left some party officials and voters dumbfounded.

Harris was the self-styled underdog against her Republican rival, Donald Trump, having joined the race barely three months ago, but the nature of her loss has some Democrats asking questions about the future of the party.

The sharpest criticism contained accusations that the party had lied to its supporters about President Joe Biden's mental fitness until a disastrous TV debate with Trump in June raised alarm bells and ultimately led to the president exiting the race.

One Democratic donor asked: "Why did Joe Biden hold on for as long as he did? He should have not concealed his (health) and dropped out a lot sooner."

Biden, 81, has said privately he thought he was the only Democrat who could beat Trump, and vowed publicly that he was fit to be president for another four years. When he dropped out of the race in July, he said he had decided it was "in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down."

Biden's announcement in April 2023 that he would run for reelection was greeted with skepticism by many Democrats, but likely potential challengers quickly agreed to join his campaign as advisers, rather than challenge him.

The party "needs a complete reboot," said hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, a longtime Democratic donor who endorsed Trump in 2024, on X. "The party lied to the American people about the cognitive health and fitness of the president," he said, and then didn't hold a primary to replace him.

The Harris campaign declined comment and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

WOMEN AND YOUNG VOTERS

The concerns ran deeper, though.

Two groups Harris was counting on to beat Trump -- increasingly diverse young voters, believed to be motivated by climate change, liberal values and her social media savvy, and women worried about shrinking abortion rights under a Republican -- moved in his direction instead.

Trump's overall share of voters under 45 was up two percentage points from 2020 as was his share of women voters, Edison Research exit poll data show. Trump also increased his support in many suburban areas, where Democrats thought they had made inroads.

The shift came even as the Harris campaign insisted that the race was close, and that she was picking up new voters.

One Democratic National Committee official said he was fielding angry text messages from party members late on Tuesday night. "They feel lied to by the campaign," the official said.

Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric also appeared to strike a chord with voters even in Democratic heartlands like Connecticut and Massachusetts, mirroring a trend seen in many liberal democracies where high housing and other costs have been blamed on newcomers.

Canada's Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, for example, cut immigration levels under criticism from the right, and Europe's far-right parties have vowed to toughen immigration rules, while peeling away votes from the center left.

Harris' defeat is the Democrats' second bitter loss to Trump over the past three elections. Hillary Clinton's 2016 defeat had paved the way for Biden to run.

A convicted felon, Trump's unorthodox economic proposals, including blanket tariffs on imports, will be costly for US consumers and businesses, economists say. His plans to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally would upend industries and communities.

Still Trump gained with Latino voters, and had easy wins in Georgia and North Carolina, states where Democrats thought they were competitive. Harris' whirlwind campaign, built around an inclusive vision of the United States and stronger fiscal support for families, had emphasized hope and positivity.

Biden and Harris' support of Israel during its assault on Gaza split the Democratic Party, with many progressive Democrats calling unsuccessfully for the US to curb its military aid to Israel. That cost votes among left-leaning Democrats.

Harris remained at her residence in Washington the entire evening while crowds waited outside her alma mater Howard University, where the campaign had set up a stage and a media center, anticipating days of vote-counting before a result.

As the results started to trickle in, her campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond took the stage to tell the dwindling crowds the race wasn't over yet. Hours later, it was.