Repatriating Afghan Refugees from Pakistan
Background, Implications, and Consequences for Bilateral Relations and Regional Dynamics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57947/qrp.v63i2.152Keywords:
repatriation, demography, Pakistan, Afghan expulsion, terrorism, human rightsAbstract
This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the Pakistani government’s current policy regarding the repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. This comes amidst opposition from the Afghan Taliban government, humanitarian and human rights organizations, and activists. In October 2023, the Pakistani government announced a massive repatriation initiative, targeting over 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees. After escalating attacks on Pakistani security forces within its borders and a perceived reluctance to address the threat posed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), this was later extended to all refugees. These developments have significantly heightened tensions along the Afghan border – the Durand Line – and have witnessed Pakistani jet fighters making incursions into Afghanistan to target suspected safe havens. The primary objective of this research is to explain the factors contributing to the deteriorating situation along the 2,640km border, and its implications for trade and bilateral relations between the two countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Furthermore, this study not only examines Pakistan's strategy of pressuring the Afghan Taliban government through policies of apprehension, incarceration, and forced expulsion but also analyzes the concerns of international humanitarian bodies, questions of demography, human rights organizations, and human rights activists opposing the expulsion of refugees in light of the deteriorating economic and human rights situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover and the withdrawal of Coalition forces from Afghanistan, which occurred as of August 15, 2021. The forced repatriation of Afghan refugees is a crucial issue that demands comprehensive research. In addition, the socio-economic burdens on Pakistan’s vulnerable economy are considerable. The research also covers the historical context of refugee movements in the region, the role of international organizations, and the principles guiding the repatriation processes. In such a scenario, what would be the socio-political and economic impacts of the forced repatriation of Afghan refugees on Pakistan-Afghan bilateral relations and the broader regional stability in South Asia? To address this, the study incorporates the perceptions of Afghans who fled to Pakistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 as well as the political imperatives of Pakistan’s government behind 2023 exodus.
References
Ahmed, S. (2023, November 13). The Pakistani Taliban test ties between Islamabad and Kabul. International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/pakistan/pakistani-taliban-test-ties-between-islamabad-and-kabul
Ahmed, Z. S., & Bhatnagar, S. (2007). Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations and the Indian Factor. Pakistan Horizon, 60(2), 159–174. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41500069
Al-Kassab, F. (2024, April 17). Why London’s Muslim mayor needs the same security as the king? NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/04/17/1244304019/london-mayor-sadiq-khan-muslim
Amnesty International, (2023, October 4). Pakistan: Government must not deport Afghan refugees. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/pakistan-government-must-not-deport-afghan-refugees/
Bahiss, I. (2023, November 13). Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghans poses risks to regional stability. International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/pakistan-afghanistan/pakistans-mass-deportation-afghans-poses-risks-regional-stability
Baqai, H. & Wasi, N. (Eds.). (2021). Pakistan-Afghanistan relations: Pitfalls and the way forward. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).
Borthakur, A. (2017). Afghan refugees: The impact on Pakistan. Asian Affairs, 48(3), 488–509. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068374.2017.1362871
Byrd, W. (2022, August 8). One year later, Taliban unable to reverse Afghanistan’s economic decline. United States Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/08/one-year-later-taliban-unable-reverse-afghanistans-economic-decline
CCAR, (2021). Our History and Introduction. Government of Pakistan. https://ccar.gov.pk/about/
Fahrney, M. (2023, December 15). Why Pakistan is deporting Afghan migrants. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/why-pakistan-deporting-afghan-migrants
Goldstein, C. S. (2012). The Afghanistan experience: Democratization by force. Parameters 42, 18-31. https://doi.org/10.55540/0031-1723.3054
Hadid, D. (2022, May 7). The Taliban orders women to wear head-to-toe clothing in Public. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/07/1097382550/taliban-women-burqa-decree
Human Rights Watch (2021). Afghanistan: Events of 2021. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2021/country-chapters/afghanistan
Hussain, A. (2023, October 6). Why is Pakistan planning to deport undocumented Afghans? Aljazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/6/why-is-pakistan-deporting-undocumented-afghans
International Crisis Group (2022). Pakistan’s hard policy choices in Afghanistan. Asian Report. https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-asia/pakistan/pakistans-hard-policy-choices-afghanistan
Iqbal, M., & Iqbal, K. (2020). Shariah and evolution of fair trial rights in Pakistan. Rahat-Ul-Quloob, 4(2), 130-141. https://doi.org/10.51411/rahat.4.2.2020.139
Jackson, A. (2022, March 29). The Ban on older girls’ education: Taleban conservatives’ ascendant and a leadership in disarray. Afghanistan Analyst Network. https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/rights-freedom/the-ban-on-older-girls-education-taleban-conservatives-ascendant-and-a-leadership-in-disarray/
Jehangir, A. (2023). Finding peace journalism: An analysis of Pakistani media discourse on Afghan refugees and their forced repatriation from Pakistan. Media, War & Conflict, 16(4), 582-598. https://doi.org/10.1177/17506352221149559
Jones, M., & McGarr, P. (2014). Real substance, not just symbolism? The CIA and the representation of covert operations in the ‘Foreign Relations of the United States Series'. In C. R. Moran, & C. J. Murphy (Eds.), Intelligence Studies in Britain and the US: Historiography since 1945. Scholarship Online. https://doi.org/10.3366/edinburgh/9780748646272.003.0004
Joppke, C. (1996). Multiculturalism and immigration: A comparison of the United States, Germany and Great Britian. Theory and Society, 25, 449-500. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00160674
Khan, I. (2020). Roots, repatriation and refugee: Pakistan and Afghan refugee crises. University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal, 6(3), https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346370240_Roots_Repatriation_and_Refuge_Pakistan_and_the_Afghan_Refugee_Crisis.
Khan, N. A. & Niami, J. (2023, October 8). Pakistan’s order for all ‘illegal’ migrants to leave country sparks fear among Afghans. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-illegal-migrants-deportation-order-afghans-fears/32628081.html
Kugelman, M. (2023, November 1). Why Is Pakistan expelling 1.7 Million Afghans? Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/11/01/pakistan-deports-million-afghans-undocumented-migrants
Maizland, L. (2023). The Taliban in Afghanistan. Council on Foreign Relation. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan
Masudi, J.A. (2023), Mass deportation of Afghans from Pakistan: Refugee law at stake or solution for halting terrorism. Pakistan Journal of International Affairs, 6(3), https://pjia.com.pk/index.php/pjia/article/view/903
Petrucci, S. (1996). Generating income for Afghan refugees in Pakistan. World Bank. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/838311468762956336/generating-income-for-afghan-refugees-in-pakistan
Rashid, U. (2021). UNCHR in Pakistan: Analyzing the global governance regime – Repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. LUMS. https://sahsol.lums.edu.pk/node/12870
Rasmussen, S. E. (2022, April 3). Afghanistan’s Taliban ban poppy cultivation. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/afghanistans-taliban-ban-poppy-cultivation-11649003599
Reayat. N, Shah, A. U. M., Kaleem, M., & Sha h, S. A. A. (2020). The Supreme court of Pakistan and Institutionalization: The case study of national reconciliation ordinance. International Journal of Management Research and Emerging Sciences, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.56536/ijmres.v10i2.89
Siddique, A., & Shah, A.A, (2023, July 9). The lucky few: Pakistani citizenship still elusive for most Afghan refugees. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-citizenship-afghanistan-refugees/32495680.html
Siddique, A., & Baber, M. (2023, September 16). Pakistani Taliban attempts land grab to boost insurgency against Islamabad. Pakistan, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistani-taliban-land-grab-insurgency-islamabad/32595679.html
Soofi, A. B. (2023, October 13). Afghan refugees & international law. Dawn. https://www.dawn.com/news/1780838
Suleman, M. (1988). Malaria in Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg., 82(1):44-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(88)90257-x
USIP (2023, January 23). The Current Situation in Pakistan: A USIP Fact Sheet. United States Institute of Peace. https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/01/current-situation-pakistan
Weinbaum, M. G. (1991). War and peace in Afghanistan: The Pakistani role. Middle East Journal, 45(1), 71–85.
Zaidi, S. A. (2011). Who benefits from US Aid to Pakistan? Economic and Political Weekly, 46(32), 103-109.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
