Afghan Migrants in Pakistan Voice Complaints Against Citizens’ Treatment

Some Afghan migrants in Pakistan are complaining about the mistreatment they face from some citizens of that country. They claim that alongside inappropriate behavior from Pakistani police, the attitudes of ordinary citizens towards migrants have also changed. Many Afghan migrants in Pakistan allege that they face humiliation and insults from Pakistanis daily.

Following the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, thousands of citizens of the country have sought refuge in Pakistan to process their migration cases. They say that apart from the inappropriate behavior of Pakistani police, ordinary citizens of the country now also exhibit discriminatory behavior towards migrants.

Asadullah (pseudonym) is one of the Afghan refugees residing in the G-9 area of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. He says, ‘When I send children to buy groceries, shopkeepers do not return the remaining money to them. I am forced to go myself. Sometimes, I also face insulting behavior from drivers. They address Afghans as ingrates.’

Ajmal, another migrant, has faced discriminatory treatment. He says he runs a shop in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s “Namak Mandi” area. Ajmal adds, “Here, everyone addresses me with a derogatory tone as a migrant. Enduring this situation is difficult. Even ordinary people treat us improperly.”

Nigara, recently deported from Pakistan, shares bitter memories and grievances about the country. She explains, “Even before reports of migrant deportations, Pakistanis mistreated us. They refused to enroll our children in schools, offering various excuses. However, when discussions about expelling migrants began, their behavior drastically shifted.”

Mrs. Nigara alleges that Pakistani police confiscated her household items and money during her forced deportation. Previously, dozens of Afghan refugees in Pakistan have claimed that police in this country take their cash and jewelry under the pretext of interrogation.

However, some Afghan refugees in Pakistan assert that ordinary citizens’ behavior towards them deteriorated after Pakistan’s cricket team lost to Afghanistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. They argue that following the Afghan team’s victory over Pakistan, citizens of the latter exhibited inappropriate behavior towards refugees.

Jawed, who has been living in Pakistan for over 20 years, says that Pakistan’s cricket team’s loss to Afghanistan has become a sore point for some citizens of this country. According to him, the outcome of these matches directly affects the behavior of people in Pakistan towards migrants.

Mr. Jawed says, “When Afghanistan defeated Pakistan in the World Cup, the behavior of our neighbors who are from Lahore towards us changed. They wouldn’t even greet us and would say, ‘You are terrorists, nobody wants you here. You destroyed your own country and now you’ve come to destroy others’.” He says the lack of a legitimate government system in Afghanistan has made citizens abroad not well-received.

However, Tahir Khan, a Pakistani freelance journalist, says that the expulsion of Afghan migrants from the country is due to economic and security issues. According to him, the Pakistani government is concerned that migrants might be exploited against the country’s interests.

Last year, the interim government of Pakistan initiated the forced deportation of refugees, alleging the involvement of some Afghan citizens in the country’s insecurities. Over 500,000 migrants were repatriated to Afghanistan last winter alone. 

This coincides with previous instances of inappropriate behavior by certain Iranian citizens towards Afghan migrants, which have also elicited responses.