Afghan refugees are citizens of Afghanistan who were compelled to abandon their country as a result of major wars, persecution, torture and genocide. The 1978 Saur Revolution followed by the 1979 Soviet invasion marked the first wave of internal displacement and international migration from Afghanistan to neighboring Iran and Pakistan. Smaller number went north and began residing in various cities across the then Soviet Union. When the Soviet forces left Afghanistan in February 1989, many refugees returned to their homeland. They again migrated to neighboring countries during and after the Afghan Civil War (1992–1996).
Afghanistan became one of the largest refugee-producing countries in
the world.
Over 6 million Afghan refugees were residing in both Iran and Pakistan
in the year 2000. Currently, they are
the third largest group after Venezuelan refugees and Syrian refugees. Some countries that were part of the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) established special programs to allow
thousands of Afghans to resettle in North America or Europe. As stateless refugees or asylum seekers, they
are protected by the well-established non-refoulement principle and the U.N.
Convention Against Torture.
They receive the maximum government
benefits and protections in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. For
example, those that receive green cards under 8 U.S.C. § 1159 can
immediately become "non-citizen nationals of the United States"
pursuant to 8 U.S.C. § 1452(b), without needing to meet the
requirements of 8 U.S.C. § 1427(a). This allows them to travel with distinct United
States passports. Australia provides a
similar benefit to admitted refugees.
Neighboring and Regional Countries
Native people from Afghanistan lawfully
reside and work in about 92 countries around the world. About three in four Afghans have gone through
internal and/or external displacement in their life. Unlike in certain other countries, all
admitted refugees and those granted asylum in the United States are statutorily
eligible for permanent residency (green card) and then U.S. nationality or U.S.
citizenship. All of their children
automatically become Americans if they fulfill all of the requirements of 8
U.S.C. § 1408(4), 8 U.S.C. § 1431(a) or 8 U.S.C. § 1433(a). This extends their privileges, and gives all
of them additional international protection against any unlawful threat or
harm.
Pakistan
Approximately 1,438,432 registered
Afghan refugees and asylum seekers temporarily reside in Pakistan under the
care and protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Of these, 58.1% reside and work in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, 22.8% in Balochistan, 11.7% in Punjab, 4.6% in Sindh, 2.4% in the
capital Islamabad and 0.3% in Azad Kashmir.
Most were born and raised in Pakistan in the last four decades but are
considered citizens of Afghanistan. They
are free to return to Afghanistan under a voluntary repatriation program or
move to any other country of the world and be firmly resettled there.
Since 2002, around 4.4 million Afghan
citizens have been repatriated through the UNHCR from Pakistan to Afghanistan. Members of the Taliban and their family
reside among the Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Others such as the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants and their
family members, who are awaiting to be firmly settled in the United States, are
also residing in Pakistan. Regarding the Taliban, Prime Minister of Pakistan stated
the following:
What the Taliban are doing or are not
doing has nothing to do with us. We are neither responsible, nor the
spokesperson for the Taliban.
— Imran Khan, July 2021
Iran
As of October 2020, there are 780,000
registered Afghan refugees and asylum seekers temporarily residing in Iran
under the care and protection of the UNHCR.
The majority of them were born in Iran during the last four decades but
are still considered citizens of Afghanistan. According to Iranian officials, 2
million citizens of Afghanistan who have no legal documents and over half a
million Iranian visa holders also reside in various parts of the country. Iran has long been used by Afghans to reach Turkey
and then Europe where they apply for political asylum. As in Pakistan, the Afghan refugees are not
firmly settled but reside there on a temporary basis.
Iran's initial response towards Afghan
refugees, driven by religious solidarity, was an open door policy where Afghans
in Iran had freedom of movement to travel or work in any city in addition to
subsidies for propane, gasoline, certain food items and even health coverage. In the early 2000s, Iran's Bureau for Aliens
and Foreign Immigrants Affairs (BAFIA) initiated registration of all
foreigners, including refugees. It began issuing temporary residence cards to
certain Afghans. In 2000, the Iranian
government also initiated a joint repatriation program with the UNHCR.
Laws were passed in order to encourage
the repatriation of Afghan refugees, such as limits on employment, areas of
residence, and access to services including education.
India
India hosts approximately 15,816 Afghan
refugees within its borders. The
majority of them reside in the nation's capital Delhi, specifically in the
neighborhoods of Lajpat Nagar, Bhogal and Malviya Nagar. Some of them operate "shops, restaurants
and pharmacies." Afghan refugees
were admitted to India during and after the Soviet–Afghan War (1979-1989). Much of Afghanistan's Christian community thrives
within India. In 2021, following the end
of the latest war in Afghanistan, India has offered an emergency visa (the
'e-Emergency X-Misc Visa') to some citizens of Afghanistan.
International Aid
Due to the ongoing conflict, insecurity,
unemployment, and poverty in Afghanistan, the Afghan government has had
difficulty coping with its internally displaced population in addition to the
influx of returnees in a short period of time. In order to meet the needs of
returning refugees, the UN has appealed the international community for $240
million in humanitarian assistance.
In March of 2003, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
and the UNHCRsigned a tripartite agreement, as an effort to facilitate
voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees.
In 2015, the high level segment of the UNHCR's 66th Executive Committee
meeting concentrated on Afghan refugees. This was an effort to bring
international attention and promote sustainable solutions for the Afghan
refugee situation.
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