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Hospitality to Hostility: Governing Afghan Refugees in Pakistan
Humayun Khan, Safi Ullah Khan, Noor Elahi and Bahadar Nawab Khattak
Published: 2022/12/01
Abstract
In 2020, around 3 million Afghan refugees were residing in Pakistan. The largest protracted displacement, and the second-largest refugee population worldwide, have been hosted by Pakistan since the 1980s. This paper gives an overview of the challenges that these Afghan refugees are facing due to changing government policies towards them in Pakistan. A qualitative research approach was adopted, and 45 respondents were interviewed. The study revealed that government policies towards Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been impacted by considerations of geopolitics, security, and external relations. As a result, refugees are often subject to extortion, harassment, imprisonment, and deportation. Moreover, refugees have to manage food, education, health and water services themselves. Keywords: Afghan refugees, Governance, Registration, Deportation, Settlement, Repatriation
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