For the thousands of Afghan children living in refugee camps on the outskirts of Karachi, June 20, which is observed around the world as International Refugees Day, was no different from any other day. The hunger, homelessness and feeling of desperation that these children and their families had tried to leave behind in their war-torn homeland of Afghanistan have followed them to their new home.
This was stated by Rashid Khan, a former official of the BEFAR (Basic Education for Afghan Refugees), an NGO working to improve and contribute towards better standards of living for displaced and underprivileged communities.
“International Refugees Day is observed to honour the courage, strength and determination of the women, men and children who have been forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence,” Khan said.
Though there are some 25,000 Afghan refugees living in the Afghan and Jadeed camps located near the Super Highway, there is not a single school, college, or hospital that the refugees can visit.
For those living in these camps, the lack of basic facilities is compounded by a feeling of alienation and persecution. Sujjad Gul believes that the camp is the only secure place for his people.
“If we go outside of this camp, we are assaulted. The local police are reluctant to interfere when we are attacked. I once went to the police after being attacked. I was still bleeding from the head, and all they had to say was that I should defend myself if I am attacked.”
Gul believes that it is pointless to ‘fight the system’, as this will only make things worse and will probably result in him being thrown in prison. “I don’t think fighting back is worth being separated from my family,” he said.
Two young Afghani refugees Fawad Khan and Dawood Shah said that we are selling homemade items to survive. Both the brothers said that each member of a family must work to earn some money for their family. When asked if they plan to attend school, Shan said that the street was their school now.
Syed Bilal Agha, Senior Field Assistant at UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), told The News that the state of Pakistan has hosted countless Afghan refugees in the last 30 years.
“In 2006, we issued registration cards to about 120,000 Afghan refugees. There were already hundreds of undocumented refugees in the country who did not have the financial means to settle anywhere. Many of the Afghan refugees have now left Pakistan voluntarily, but there are still some 71,000 registered Afghans in Karachi.”
He stated that under a tripartite agreement between the UNHCR and the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Afghan refugees in Pakistan have a deadline of 31 December 2012 to voluntarily register for repatriation. Those who return to their homeland will be supported by the UNHCR.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Karachi home to 71,000 registered Afghan refugees, says UNHCR
For the thousands of Afghan children living in refugee camps on the outskirts of Karachi, June 20, which is observed around the world as International Refugees Day, was no different from any other day. The hunger, homelessness and feeling of desperation that these children and their families had tried to leave behind in their war-torn homeland of Afghanistan have followed them to their new home.
This was stated by Rashid Khan, a former official of the BEFAR (Basic Education for Afghan Refugees), an NGO working to improve and contribute towards better standards of living for displaced and underprivileged communities.
“International Refugees Day is observed to honour the courage, strength and determination of the women, men and children who have been forced to flee their homeland under threat of persecution, conflict and violence,” Khan said.
Though there are some 25,000 Afghan refugees living in the Afghan and Jadeed camps located near the Super Highway, there is not a single school, college, or hospital that the refugees can visit.
For those living in these camps, the lack of basic facilities is compounded by a feeling of alienation and persecution. Sujjad Gul believes that the camp is the only secure place for his people.
“If we go outside of this camp, we are assaulted. The local police are reluctant to interfere when we are attacked. I once went to the police after being attacked. I was still bleeding from the head, and all they had to say was that I should defend myself if I am attacked.”
Gul believes that it is pointless to ‘fight the system’, as this will only make things worse and will probably result in him being thrown in prison. “I don’t think fighting back is worth being separated from my family,” he said.
Two young Afghani refugees Fawad Khan and Dawood Shah said that we are selling homemade items to survive. Both the brothers said that each member of a family must work to earn some money for their family. When asked if they plan to attend school, Shan said that the street was their school now.
Syed Bilal Agha, Senior Field Assistant at UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), told The News that the state of Pakistan has hosted countless Afghan refugees in the last 30 years.
“In 2006, we issued registration cards to about 120,000 Afghan refugees. There were already hundreds of undocumented refugees in the country who did not have the financial means to settle anywhere. Many of the Afghan refugees have now left Pakistan voluntarily, but there are still some 71,000 registered Afghans in Karachi.”
He stated that under a tripartite agreement between the UNHCR and the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, Afghan refugees in Pakistan have a deadline of 31 December 2012 to voluntarily register for repatriation. Those who return to their homeland will be supported by the UNHCR.
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