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



Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
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Myanmar Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 3,085 as More Bodies Found

People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER
People look at the collapsed Maha Myat Muni Pagoda following an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, 28 March 2025 (issued 29 March 2025). EPA/STRINGER

The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as search and rescue teams found more bodies, the military-led government said, and humanitarian aid groups scrambled to provide survivors medical care and shelter.
In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 people have been injured and 341 are missing.
The epicenter of Friday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake was near Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. It brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges in multiple regions, The Associated Press said.
Local media reports of casualties have been much higher than the official figures and with telecommunications widely out and many places difficult to reach, it's thought the numbers could rise sharply as more details come in.
The World Health Organization said that according to its initial assessment, four hospitals and one health center had been completely destroyed while another 32 hospitals and 18 health centers had been partially damaged.
“With infrastructure compromised and patient numbers surging, access to health care has become nearly impossible in many of the worst-hit areas,” the UN said. “Thousands of people are in urgent need of trauma care, surgical interventions and treatment for disease outbreaks.”
A mobile hospital from India and a joint Russian-Belarusian hospital also were now operating in Mandalay.
With many left homeless by the earthquake, and many others staying away from their homes over fears ongoing aftershocks will bring them down, workers in Naypyitaw labored in the 40 degree Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) busily erected big tents in open fields to provide some shelter.
In Mandalay, local residents gave slices of watermelon to Chinese volunteers taking a break from the heat.
More than 1,550 international rescuers were operating alongside locals on Thursday, according to a statement from the military. Rescue supplies and equipment have been sent by 17 countries.
Myanmar’s military seized power in 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking what has turned into a civil war.
The quake worsened an already dire humanitarian crisis, with more than 3 million people displaced from their homes and nearly 20 million in need even before it hit, according to the United Nations.
As concerns grew that ongoing fighting could hamper humanitarian aid efforts, the military declared a temporary ceasefire Wednesday, through April 22. The announcement followed unilateral temporary ceasefires announced by armed resistance groups opposed to military rule.
The military said it would still take “necessary” measures against those groups if they use the ceasefire to regroup, train or launch attacks.
Already on Thursday there were reports from local media in Kachin state in the north of Myanmar that military attacks continued in several areas, but they could not be independently confirmed.
Prior to the earthquake the military was battling the Kachin Independence Army group. The KIA on Wednesday also declared a ceasefire but reserved the right to defend itself. It was unclear how the reported fighting broke out.
The earthquake shook Kachin, but there have been no reports of damage there.
In Bangkok, where the quake brought down a skyscraper under construction, the search for survivors and bodies continued as Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt said a possible sound of life was detected in the rubble. By near day's end, however, nobody was found.
Twenty-two people were killed and 35 injured in the city, mostly by the collapse of the unfinished building.