As the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan continues at a rapid pace, with hundreds of families returning each day, returnees in Kabul are calling for urgent assistance.
They are requesting shelter, employment opportunities, electricity, healthcare, food supplies, and cash aid, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.
One returnee, Umra Khan, who was forcibly deported from Pakistan, said:
“We have been back here for six months after returning from Pakistan. We thank the authorities for checking on us, but in this desert area where we are staying, there is no electricity, no school, no hospital, and no access to water. We urgently need assistance.”
Families living in a returnee camp in Kabul say they lost their property and assets in Pakistan. They are urging the government and aid organizations to provide job opportunities.
Another returnee, Wali Jan, said:
“There are people here who do not have food for the night. We do not have a mosque or a school, and during this blessed month of Ramadan, we are also in need of food aid.”
Analysts, citing the country’s current economic situation, say the Islamic Emirate should provide technical and healthcare training opportunities for returnees and accelerate the land distribution process.
Tribal elder Mohammadullah Muslim said:
“Our country has vast desert lands lying unused. These should be distributed to these people so they can settle and make productive use of the barren lands.”
Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, described the treatment of Afghan refugees in Pakistan as contrary to all principles and stressed that returns should not be forced. He said the government has provided various forms of assistance to returnees.
“The issue of migrants is a humanitarian matter, but it is being used as a tool of pressure. Trade has also been used as leverage. Ultimately, Afghanistan has to accept its migrants and find alternative trade routes,” Mujahid said.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs states that nearly five million refugees have returned over the past four years. According to ministry spokesperson Abdulmutalib Haqqani, the total number of returnees has reached 4,067,808 people. He added that after temporary settlement and distribution of food aid in camps, nearly four billion Afghanis in cash assistance have been distributed, and transportation services have been provided to transfer families to their original areas.
Families residing in a camp for returnees in Deh Sabz district of Kabul province continue to complain not only about the lack of shelter but also about insufficient healthcare services.
