:Afghans in Pakistan

{{Further|Afghanistan–Pakistan relations}}

File:Durand Line Border Between Afghanistan And Pakistan.jpg in Pakistan reside in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, not very far from the International border.]]

Afghans have been migrating back and forth between what is now Afghanistan and what is now Pakistan since at least the times of the Ghaznavids in the 10th century. Before it's creation in the mid-19th century, Afghanistan was preceded by the Durrani Empire and ruled by a succession of Afghan kings with their capitals in Kandahar, Kabul, and Peshawar. In his 1857 review of John William Kaye's The Afghan War, Friedrich Engels described Afghanistan as:

{{blockquote| ... an extensive country of Asia ... between Persia and the Indies, and in the other direction between the Hindu Kush and the Indian Ocean. It formerly included the Persian provinces of Khorassan and Kohistan, together with Herat, Beluchistan, Cashmere, and Sinde, and a considerable part of the Punjab ... Its principal cities are Kabul, the capital, Ghuznee, Peshawer, and Kandahar.{{cite web |url=https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1857/afghanistan/index.htm |title=Afghanistan |access-date=August 25, 2010 |author=Friedrich Engels |work=Andy Blunden |quote=The principal cities of Afghanistan are Kabul, the capital, Ghuznee, Peshawer, and Kandahar.|publisher=The New American Cyclopaedia, Vol. I |year=1857|author-link=Friedrich Engels }}}}

Interaction and migration by the region's native people were common. After the Second Anglo-Afghan War, the late-19th-century Durand Line demarcated the spheres of influence of British India's Mortimer Durand and the Afghan amir Abdur Rahman Khan. The single-page agreement in 1947 ending political interference beyond the frontier between Afghanistan and the British Indian Empire, inherited by Pakistan in 1947,{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/pub/afghanistan.html |title=A Selection of Historical Maps of Afghanistan – The Durand Line|publisher=Library of Congress |location=United States |first=Cynthia |last=Smith |date=August 2004|access-date=2011-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206215137/http://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/pub/afghanistan.html |archive-date=6 February 2011 |url-status=live}} divided the indigenous Pashtun tribes. The treaty was ratified in 1905 and 1919 again at the treaty of Rawalpindi.

One of the most notable periods of migration began in 1979. As the Soviet–Afghan War began, many Afghan citizens began to flee the country.{{cite news|date=August 1, 2001|title=Afghan Refugees in Pakistan at Risk|publisher=UNHCR|editor=Donatella Lorch|url=https://www.unhcr.org/refworld/type,COUNTRYREP,USCRI,,3c58099a15,0.html|access-date=June 3, 2012}} The ensuing decade of violence at the hands of Soviet forces encouraged thousands more to follow, escaping what some considered to be "difficult, if not impossible, situations," which included the threat of mass arrests, executions, attacks on public gatherings, the destruction of Afghan infrastructure, as well as the targeting of Afghanistan's agricultural and industrial sectors.{{Cite journal|last=Safri|first=Maliha|date=2011-10-15|title=The Transformation of the Afghan Refugee: 1979–2009|journal=The Middle East Journal|volume=65|issue=4|pages=587–601|doi=10.3751/65.4.14|s2cid=144086775|issn=0026-3141}} In total, nearly three million Afghan refugees escaped to Pakistan and about two million to Iran throughout the decade, though some figures estimate that by 1990, nearly 4.5 million undocumented Afghan refugees resided throughout Pakistan. Aided by the UNHCR, and primarily funded by the United States government, Pakistan continued to accept and support the inclusion of these Afghan refugees throughout the decade. In late 1988, roughly 3.3 million Afghan refugees were housed in 340 refugee camps along the Afghan-Pakistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was reported by The New York Times in November 1988 that about 100,000 refugees lived in Peshawar and more than two million lived in KP (known as the North-West Frontier Province at the time). On the outskirts of Peshawar, the Jalozai camp was one of the largest refugee camps in the NWFP.

According to one researcher, the refugees consisted of various groups of migrants. Some were individuals "who came from politically prominent and wealthy families with personal and business assets outside Afghanistan; a small group who arrived [had] assets that they could bring with them such as trucks, cars and limited funds and who have done relatively well in Pakistan integrating into the new society and engaging successfully in commerce; those refugees who came from the ranks of the well-educated and include professionals such as doctors, engineers and teachers; refugees who escaped with household goods and herds of sheep, cattle and yaks but for the most part must be helped to maintain themselves; the fifth and the largest group, constituting about 60 per cent of the refugees, are ordinary Afghans who arrived with nothing and are largely dependent on Pakistan and international efforts for sustenance."{{Cite web|title=Afghanistan Crisis: Regional Implications and Impact on Pakistan's Polity|url=http://www.kashmir-information.com/Afghanistan/USingh.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122093641/http://www.kashmir-information.com/Afghanistan/USingh.html|archive-date=November 22, 2011}}

Though through migration many Afghan refugees avoided immense violence, they were still subject to political injustice and discrimination at the hands of their host country—Pakistan. The subsequent decade saw considerable change in regard to the attitudes and feelings toward Afghan refugees throughout Pakistan. Though the nation initially welcomed these migrants, utilizing "terms from Islamic discourse to justify welcoming [these] refugees in their time of need", ,hat feeling ended as issues like Kashnikov culture terrorism and ethno nationalism took root in Afghan refugees camps. In order to migrate to Pakistan, Afghan refugees were required to register to one of the seven Islamic parties pre-approved by the Pakistani government. In doing so, the Pakistani government hoped to prevent the emergence of a single, political entity on behalf of the Afghan refugees, and thus, prevent a "Palestinization" of Pakistan by a foreign settler population.

By the mid-1980s, the political injustice toward Afghan refugees began to escalate to violence. In 1986, a new political party began to emerge. Known primarily as the "Muhajir Qaumi Movement" (MQM), though also referred to as the "Refugee National Movement," this party sought to gain rights for the 'muhajir' refugees on which 'Pakistan had been built.' Yet, Afghan refugees were not included in this representation, and instead were made a target by the political leaders of the MQM. Included in the MQM's 'Charter of Demands', they requested the immediate placement of Afghan refugees in camps, and the subsequent expropriation of their property, causing a number of riots by Afghan refugees to erupt throughout Pakistan. As the MQM continued to grow throughout the decade, so too did the exclusion and violence toward Afghan refugees. In addition to the violence, the MQM created a rhetoric that largely altered the perception of Afghan refugees, as they were labeled as extremist and alien to the 'secular' Islamic state that the MQM hoped to create within Pakistan.

This 'extremist' rhetoric resurfaced after 9/11, and was evidence of the final shift in the attitudes held by Pakistan toward Afghan refugees. Prior to 9/11, the Pakistani government had already stopped the issuing of food rations to refugee villages, yet following the attacks on the World Trade center, and the subsequent global focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan decided to move toward the complete repatriation of Afghan refugees. Claiming that these refugees were to blame for the growing security concerns within the country, along with the subsequent branding of these individuals as terrorists, Pakistan, with support of the UNHCR, began to facilitate 'voluntary repatriation'. From March to December 2002, Pakistan 'voluntarily repatriated' nearly 1.52 million refugees, and an additional 5 million over the following six years. Yet, there is sufficient reasoning to believe that these were not as 'voluntary' as advertised, as a joint report from the UNHCR and Pakistan suggested 82% of refugees reported to 'not wish to repatriate'. Regardless, millions of refugees were subsequently deported, and returned to a country in which they had little-to-no ability to earn a livelihood, which was only further complicated due to the lack of resources in comparison to the number of individuals being repatriated.

{{Further|Afghan identity card}}

File:Afghan refugees returning from Pakistan in 2004.jpg returning from Pakistan in 2004]]

Since 2002, the UNHCR has repatriated 4,388,058 Afghan refugees from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

In 2005 the government of Pakistan began registering all Afghans, and the number of registered Afghans was reported at 2.15 million in February 2007. They received computer-generated "proof of registration" (PoR) cards with biometric features—similar to the Pakistani Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) but with "Afghan Citizen" on its front.{{cite news|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=https://www.unhcr.org/465c16364.html |title=German foreign minister explores situation of Afghans in Pakistan |newspaper=UNHCR |date=May 29, 2007 |access-date=2012-01-21}}

More than 357,000 Afghans were repatriated from Pakistan in 2007,{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/472b27e94.html |title=Over 350,000 Afghans repatriate from Pakistan before winter |publisher=UNHCR |access-date=2012-01-21}} and Afghans were repatriated between March and October of each subsequent year. Returnees were reportedly to be given land by the Afghan government to build a home,{{cite news|url=https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2007/11/04/returnees-be-allotted-plots-helmand-governor|title=Returnees to be allotted plots: Helmand governor|date=November 4, 2007|publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News|access-date=27 January 2010}} and each person received a travel package worth about $100 (which was increased to $400).{{cite web| url = https://www.unhcr.org/5817147f7.pdf| title = Repatriation of Afghan Refugees from Pakistan}} (UNHCR, Oct. 2016, at p. 5) About 80 percent of the returnees came from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 11 percent from Balochistan, 3 percent from Sindh and the remaining 4 percent from rest of the country.{{cite web|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/472b08b25.html |title=Afghanistan: Winter break for voluntary returns from Pakistan |publisher=UNHCR |access-date=2012-01-21}}

In June 2010 Pakistan ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture, which forbids member states from deporting, extraditing or returning people where they will be tortured. The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has increased its efforts toward a large-scale deportation of Afghan refugees from the province.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/401072/afghans-face-mass-deportation-from-pakistan|title=Afghans face mass deportation from Pakistan|work=Express Tribune|date=29 June 2012|access-date=29 June 2012}} The Afghan minister of refugees and repatriation announced that his ministry would establish 48 towns in Afghanistan for refugees returning from Pakistan and Iran.{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2012/12/05/48-towns-be-established-afghan-refugees-anwari/ |title=48 towns to be established for Afghan refugees: Anwari |publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News |date=5 December 2012 |access-date=30 March 2013|last1=Ghafari |first1=Hadi }}

File:Refugees from Afghanistan in Pakistan, near Islamabad.jpg, the capital of Pakistan]]

Between 2010 and the end of 2012, a reported 229,000 Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan.{{cite news|url=https://pajhwok.com/2011/10/29/over-60000-refugees-return-home-year/|title=Over 60,000 refugees return home this year|date=October 29, 2011|publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News|access-date=November 12, 2011}}{{cite web| url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-12/05/c_132021636.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130106195742/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-12/05/c_132021636.htm| archive-date = January 6, 2013| title = Nearly 83,000 Afghan refugees return home from Pakistan this year}}, 2012-12-05. Some Pakistani officials have estimated that 400,000 non-registered Afghans may be residing in their country.{{cite news| url = https://www.rferl.org/a/unregistered-afghan-refugees-face-deportation-by-pakistan/24630022.html| title = 400,000 Unregistered Afghan Refugees Face Deportation By Pakistan| newspaper = Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty| date = 29 June 2012}} (RFERL June 29, 2012)

A total of 380,884 Afghan refugees left Pakistan for Afghanistan in 2016.{{Cite news|url=https://thediplomat.com/2016/10/why-is-pakistan-expelling-afghan-refugees/|title=Why Is Pakistan Expelling Afghan Refugees?|last=Diplomat|first=Umair Jamal, The|newspaper=The Diplomat|language=en-US|access-date=2017-01-27}} Most were born and raised in Pakistan but are still counted as citizens of Afghanistan.{{Cite web |url=https://www.unhcr.org/pk/13933-government-unhcr-verify-1-3-million-afghan-refugees-in-pakistan.html |title=Government, UNHCR verify 1.3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan |date=June 3, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-26}} The UNHCR reported in June 2023 that 1,333,749 registered Afghan refugees still remained in Pakistan.{{Cite web|url=https://data2.unhcr.org/en/country/pak|title=Registered Afghan Refugees in Pakistan|work=UNHCR|date=30 June 2022|access-date=2022-11-30}}{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1693043/verification-of-afghan-refugees-completed|title=Verification of Afghan refugees completed|publisher=Dawn|location=Pakistan|date=June 4, 2022|access-date=2022-07-26}} As registered refugees,{{Cite news |url=https://www.unhcr.org/pk/12999-government-to-deliver-first-new-por-smartcards-to-afghan-refugees.html |title=Government delivered first new Proof of Registration smartcards to Afghan refugees |newspaper=Unhcr Pakistan |date=May 25, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-28}} they are permitted by law to work, rent homes, travel, and attend schools in the country. A small number of Afghans are waiting to be resettled in countries of North America, Europe, Oceania and elsewhere.

A number of Afghan passport holders travel to Pakistan with a visa for a variety of reasons, including tourism, family visit, business, medical treatment, education, or sport competition. The visa, free of charge, is usually valid for three months.

Throughout history, most Afghans and Pakistanis have been crossing the border between their countries without passports or visas. But in recent years this illegal travel has been restricted. Pakistan has introduced a "visa regime for different categories of Afghan nationals."{{Cite news| url = https://www.unhcr.org/pk/3324-unhcr-welcomes-new-government-policy-for-afghans-in-pakistan.html| title = UNHCR welcomes new government policy for Afghans in Pakistan | newspaper = Unhcr Pakistan |publisher=UNHCR |date=February 7, 2017}}

{{main|Expulsion of Afghans from Pakistan}}

In 2023, the Pakistani government announced a plan to evict all illegal immigrants, including Afghan nationals, in a phased and orderly manner. This decision has led to a strong reaction from the unrecognized interim Taliban government. The Islamabad police has finished the process of marking the locations of Afghan individuals residing in various areas of the federal capital. A survey regarding the properties of illegal Afghan nationals was also underway. The interim Taliban government has called Pakistan’s decision to expel Afghans living in the country without approval ‘unacceptable’. They have raised alarms for the Pakistani government to “reconsider the decision“. The United Nations and human rights groups have also expressed concerns over Pakistani plans to evict illegal Afghan migrants.

{{See also|Tajiks in Pakistan|Turkmen in Pakistan|Uzbeks in Pakistan}}

Most citizens of Afghanistan are found in the Pashtun-dominated areas of Pakistan, which include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Quetta-Chaman region of Balochistan. Smaller communities exist in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Azad Kashmir.

According to Census of Afghans in Pakistan, a 2005 Pakistani Ministry of States and Frontier Regions report, the ethnic breakdown of Afghans in Pakistan was Pashtuns (81.5 percent), Tajiks (7.3 percent), Uzbeks (2.3 percent), Hazara (1.3 percent), Turkmen (2.0 percent), Baloch (1.7 percent) and others (3.9 percent).

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hosts the largest population of Afghan citizens with 52.6%, followed by Balochistan (24.1%), Punjab (14.3%), Sindh (5.5%), Islamabad (3.1%), and Azad Kashmir (0.3%).

According to latest UNHCR report, around 701,358 registered citizens of Afghanistan reside in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War, Peshawar was a center for Afghan refugees. The Jalozai refugee camp alone had over 100,000 residents in 1988. Peshawar assimilated many Afghans with relative ease,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/16/world/pakistan-restricts-afghan-refugees.html|title=Pakistan Restricts Afghan Refugees|last=DONATELLA LORCH|date=November 16, 1988|work=New York Times|access-date=27 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130103305/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/16/world/pakistan-restricts-afghan-refugees.html |archive-date=30 January 2010 |url-status=live}} and the city became home to many Afghan musicians and artists.

{{Further|Quetta Shura}}

About 321,677 Afghan citizens reside in Balochistan. After Peshawar, Quetta has the second-highest percentage of Afghan refugees. Most Afghans in Quetta are engaged in business and work in the city.{{Cite web|url=https://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,AREU,,PAK,,47c3f3c412,0.html|title=Afghans in Quetta: Settlements, Livelihoods, Support Networks and Cross-Border Linkages}} A 2005 census of Afghans in Balochistan indicated that the overwhelming majority were Pashtun, followed by Uzbeks, Tajiks, Baluchis, Hazaras and Turkmen. Quetta has the largest concentration of Hazara people outside Afghanistan, based in areas such as Hazara Town. Due to social unrest and Hazara persecution, the Afghan refugees are trying to resettle in other countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Finland, Canada, etc.{{cite web| url = https://www.dawn.com/news/1089875| title = Afghan refugees in Balochistan seeking asylum abroad: UNHCR - Pakistan - DAWN.COM| date = 27 February 2014}}|Afghan refugees in Balochistan seeking asylum abroad: UNHCR

The first wave of Afghan Hazaras arrived during the 1980s Soviet war, and more arrived fleeing persecution by the Taliban regime in the 1990s. They forged closer links with their Pakistani Hazara patrons, whose ancestors had arrived during Amir Abdur Rahman Khan's reign in the late 1800s; these Pakistani Hazaras have some influence in the Balochistan government. Instead of living in settlement camps, many Hazaras have settled in cities.

The province of Punjab has roughly 191,053 citizens of Afghanistan.{{cite news|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/132937-Afghans-in-Punjab-The-police-are-a-little-confused|title=Afghans in Punjab: 'The police are a little confused'|date=2 March 2017|access-date=6 May 2017|work=GEO News|first=Benazir|last=Shah |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506102406/https://www.geo.tv/latest/132937-Afghans-in-Punjab-The-police-are-a-little-confused|archive-date=6 May 2017}} In June 2007, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) registered 16,439 Afghans in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore;Dawn News, June 5, 2007. {{cite web| url = https://minutemirror.com.pk/pakistans-efforts-for-afghan-refugees-hailed-soft-border-urged-12258/| title = Nadra registers 16,439 Afghans in Lahore| date = 21 November 2021| access-date = 28 February 2022| archive-date = 28 February 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220228072114/https://minutemirror.com.pk/pakistans-efforts-for-afghan-refugees-hailed-soft-border-urged-12258/}} their number was reported at about 7,000 in October 2004.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2004/10/02/afghans-lahore-concerned-lack-voting-facilities|title=Afghans in Lahore concerned at lack of voting facilities|date=October 2, 2004|website=The New Humanitarian}}

Sindh has a total of 73,789 registered citizens of Afghanistan. In 2009, their number was approximately 50,000.{{cite news |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/342643/karachi-un-body-police-baffled-by-minister |title=KARACHI: UN body, police baffled by minister's threat against Afghan refugees |publisher=Dawn |date=February 10, 2009 |access-date=2021-07-30}} A UNHCR spokesman said, "Sindh is home to some 50,000 Afghan refugees and most of them are staying in Karachi". "The police can move only against unregistered Afghans, whose number is very small in Karachi", said a senior Karachi police official.

Approximately 41,520 registered Afghan citizens reside in Islamabad. Before 2006 about 25,000 lived in a refugee camp in the Islamabad Capital Territory. The camp was closed, its refugees relocated and 7,335 Afghans were reportedly living in Rawalpindi.{{cite web|url=https://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200605/09/eng20060509_263904.html |title=People's Daily Online – Pakistan asks Afghans to go back or shift to camp |publisher=English.peopledaily.com.cn |date=2006-05-09 |access-date=2012-01-21}} In 2009, it was reported that the UNHCR helped about 3,000 refugees move from the slums of Islamabad to an undeveloped plot of land in a green belt on the edge of the city.{{cite news|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |url=https://www.unhcr.org/4b1e6f1a9.html |title=Some 3,000 Afghan refugees to leave Islamabad slum for new home |newspaper=UNHCR |date=8 December 2009 |access-date=2012-01-21}}

Azad Kashmir has 4,352 Afghans and Gilgit-Baltistan merely 5. During the 1980s, about 13,000 Afghans migrated to cities in Azad Kashmir.{{Cite web|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/|title=Daily Times|website=Daily Times}} According to a 2011 article in The News International, Afghans and other foreigners in Azad Kashmir were perceived as a security risk.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=48983&Cat=2&dt=5/23/2011 |title=Foreigners, Afghans major threat in AJK' |publisher=Thenews.com.pk |access-date=2012-01-21}} In 2015, there were 11,000 unregistered Afghan refugees in Azad Kashmir who faced possible expulsion or deportation.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/863104/azad-kashmir-to-expel-11000-afghans-police|title=Azad Kashmir to expel 11,000 Afghans: police|work=The Express Tribune|date=2 April 2015|access-date=3 April 2015}}

File:Aryan Khan performing for members of ANCOP in Kabul.jpg

{{Further|Culture of Pakistan|Culture of Afghanistan}}

Due to historical, ethnic, religious, and linguistic connections, Afghan immigrants in Pakistan find it relatively easy to adapt to local customs and culture. There are few obstacles to transition and assimilation into mainstream society; culture shock for Afghan Pashtuns is relatively small in parts of northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern parts of Balochistan. In 1997-2001, Pakistan was very bias towards Afghan refugees that they threatened to shut down the border and forcibly return Afghan who had the right to be there under asylum.ZEAGER, LESTER A., and JOHN H. P. WILLIAMS. "Tools for Anticipating Asylum Denials: An Application to Afghan Refugees in Pakistan, 1997–2001." Journal of Refugee Studies, vol. 19, no. 4, 2006, pp. 453–70, {{doi|10.1093/refuge/fel022}}.

Similarly, Hazaras from Afghanistan can easily assimilate due to the presence of Hazaras in Balochistan. However, this is not the case for the Tajiks from Afghanistan. Most Afghan immigrants are fluent in Urdu, Pakistan's national language, as their second or third language.{{cite news|url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/report/94962/pakistan-tolerance-wanes-perceptions-afghan-refugees-change|title=PAKISTAN: Tolerance wanes as perceptions of Afghan refugees change|date=February 27, 2012|publisher=IRIN|access-date=February 28, 2012}} Many call Pakistan their home because they were born there. They participate in national festivities and other occasions, including Independence Day celebrations.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/231374/independence-day-we-are-pakistanis-now-say-afghans|title=Independence Day: We are Pakistanis now, say Afghans|work=Express Tribune|date=15 August 2011|access-date=16 November 2011}} Afghan communities retain and preserve their cultural values, traditions and customs, despite years of fighting and difficult socioeconomic conditions in Afghanistan.{{cite web| url = https://www.dawn.com/news/667520/afghan-culture-survives-ravages-of-war-says-diplomat| title = Afghan culture survives ravages of war, says diplomat| date = 20 October 2011}}, Dawn News

As per a 2018 Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) survey, this is how the Afghan refugees themselves have judged their host community in terms of positive or negative response, by province:{{Cite web |last1=Javed |first1=Asif |last2=Khan |first2=Shehryar |last3=Syed |first3=Rubab |last4=Ahmad |first4=Vaqar |date=November 2020 |title=Socio-economic Inclusion of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan |url=https://sdpi.org/assets/lib/uploads/uploads/2020/11/Socio-economic-inclusion-of-Afghan-Refugees-final.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530150451/https://sdpi.org/assets/lib/uploads/uploads/2020/11/Socio-economic-inclusion-of-Afghan-Refugees-final.pdf |archive-date=30 May 2023 |access-date=30 May 2023 |website=Sustainable Development Policy Institute |page=7}}

{{Further|Education in Pakistan|Education in Afghanistan}}

Many Afghan refugees in Pakistan lack formal education.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2306068/why-do-young-afghan-refugees-in-pakistan-lack-education-skills |title=Why do young Afghan refugees in Pakistan lack education, skills? |publisher=The Express Tribune |date=June 19, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30}} At least 71 percent of registered Afghans had no formal education, and only 20 percent were in the labour market. Despite economic hardships and challenges in Pakistan, many Afghans are unwilling to return in the near future and cite security concerns and the lack of housing and jobs in Afghanistan.{{cite web|url=https://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200705/04/eng20070504_371704.html |title=People's Daily Online – Authorities launch report on registered Afghans in Pakistan |publisher=English.peopledaily.com.cn |date=2007-05-04 |access-date=2012-01-21}} About 6,500 Afghans studied at Pakistani universities in 2011, with 729 exchange students receiving scholarships from the government of Pakistan.{{cite news|url=https://pajhwok.com/2011/05/27/pakistan-offers-scholarships-hundreds-afghans/|title=Pakistan offers scholarships to hundreds of Afghans|date=May 27, 2011|publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News|access-date=November 12, 2011}} A number of Afghan schools throughout Pakistan educate thousands of Afghan refugee children.{{cite web|url=http://www.rawa.org/rawa/2009/04/25/pakistan-taliban-threaten-co-educational-schools.html |title=Pakistan: Taliban threaten co-educational schools « RAWA |publisher=Rawa.org |access-date=2012-01-21}}{{cite news|url=https://www.desktop-documentaries.com/afghan-refugees-schools-in-pakistan.html |title=Afghan Refugees Schools in Pakistan |newspaper=Desktop-documentaries.com |access-date=2012-01-21}} Wealthier Afghans live in cities, renting houses, driving cars and working in offices or running their own businesses; their children are enrolled in better schools and universities. Many receive remittances from family or friends living abroad; thousands of Kennedy Fried Chicken owners and workers in the eastern US transfer money every month to their extended families in Pakistan. Self-employed Afghans in Pakistan are usually involved in the Afghan rug business,{{cite news|url=https://pajhwok.com/2015/10/11/100000-afghan-carpet-weavers-work-pakistan/|title=100,000 Afghan carpet-weavers work in Pakistan|date=May 27, 2011|publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News|access-date=October 11, 2015}} Afghan restaurants and bakeries (making and selling Afghan bread), international trade, auto sales or small shops. A number of Afghans are involved in Pakistani media and entertainment as television hosts, actors and news anchors. Najiba Faiz, originally from Kunduz, is popular on AVT Khyber and other stations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xeoopc|title=Najiba Faiz, In Light Pink – video dailymotion|date=4 September 2010}} Some Afghans drive taxicabs or sell fruit and other products, and others work in five-star hotels such as the Serena and the Marriott. Many work in factories or as employees of Pakistani shop owners.{{cite web|url=https://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/features/pakistan/2010/05/03/feature-02 |title=Afghan refugees in Karachi face trifecta of woes |publisher=Central Asia Online |access-date=2012-01-21}} According to a 2007 report, Afghans were willing to work for lower wages than the average Pakistani. Afghan labour is common in transport and construction.{{Cite web|url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33851.pdf|title=Afghan Refugees: Current Status and Future Prospects}}

Most Afghans did not pay taxes while living in Pakistan, an economic concern; in Peshawar, 12,000 Afghan nationals were in business without paying taxes.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=42702&Cat=3 |title=FBR to tax Afghan traders working in Pakistan |publisher=Thenews.com.pk |access-date=2012-01-21}} To address these concerns, the Federal Board of Revenue implemented measures to tax Afghan traders.{{cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=37446&Cat=7 |title=SCCI welcomes FBR's decision to tax Afghan traders |publisher=Thenews.com.pk |access-date=2012-01-21}}

{{See also|Afghanistan–Pakistan sports rivalries}}

File:Rashid Khan celebrating.jpg of the Afghanistan national cricket team lived in Pakistan.]]Cricket in Afghanistan was popularised by Afghan expatriates who learnt the sport while living in Pakistan in the 1980s and 1990s, during the post-Soviet invasion era.{{cite news |date=28 June 2019 |title=Cricket: Politics spices up ahead of Pakistan-Afghanistan match |work=TRT World |url=https://www.trtworld.com/sport/cricket-politics-spices-up-ahead-of-pakistan-afghanistan-match-27879 |accessdate=4 September 2022}}{{cite web |last=Monga |first=Sidharth |date=28 June 2019 |title=An opportunity to keep the Afghanistan-Pakistan rivalry dignified |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/an-opportunity-to-keep-the-afghanistan-pakistan-rivalry-dignified-1191500 |accessdate=4 September 2022 |work=ESPNcricinfo}} Most members of the early Afghanistan national cricket team grew up in Pakistan and participated in the country's domestic cricket structure, making use of cricket facilities in Peshawar with the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).{{cite news |date=29 April 2011 |title=Afghanistan cricket teams play in Pakistan |work=The Express Tribune |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/159156/afghanistan-cricket-teams-play-in-pakistan |accessdate=4 September 2022}}{{cite web |last=Monga |first=Sidharth |date=28 June 2019 |title=An opportunity to keep the Afghanistan-Pakistan rivalry dignified |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/an-opportunity-to-keep-the-afghanistan-pakistan-rivalry-dignified-1191500 |accessdate=4 September 2022 |work=ESPNcricinfo}} It was during this time that the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (now ACB) was also founded, in 1995.{{cite news |last=Wigmore |first=Tim |date=22 August 2014 |title=The man who gave Afghanistan their mojo |work=ESPNcricinfo |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/tim-wigmore-taj-malik-the-man-who-gave-afghanistan-their-mojo-772985 |accessdate=4 September 2022}} The ACF received recognition from the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001.

Several future cricketers representing Afghanistan emerged from Peshawar's club cricket scene, establishing an Afghan cricket club to compete against other local Pakistani sides in the 1990s.

The Afghanistan national team was coached by former Pakistani cricketers Kabir Khan and Rashid Latif in its initial years.{{cite news |date=28 June 2019 |title=Cricket: Politics spices up ahead of Pakistan-Afghanistan match |work=TRT World |url=https://www.trtworld.com/sport/cricket-politics-spices-up-ahead-of-pakistan-afghanistan-match-27879 |accessdate=4 September 2022}} During this period, a number of Afghan international cricketers made appearances for Pakistani domestic outfits in the first-class circuit.{{cite web |last=Monga |first=Sidharth |date=28 June 2019 |title=An opportunity to keep the Afghanistan-Pakistan rivalry dignified |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/an-opportunity-to-keep-the-afghanistan-pakistan-rivalry-dignified-1191500 |accessdate=4 September 2022 |work=ESPNcricinfo}}{{cite web |last=Farooq |first=Umar |date=22 March 2013 |title=Afghanistan sign up for Pakistan support |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/afghanistan-sign-up-for-pakistan-support-626326 |accessdate=5 September 2022 |work=ESPNcricinfo}}{{cite web |last=Rasool |first=Danyal |date=26 December 2020 |title=Aaron Summers set to be first Australian to play Pakistan domestic cricket |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/aaron-summers-set-to-be-first-australian-to-play-pakistan-domestic-cricket-1245211 |accessdate=5 September 2022 |work=ESPNcricinfo}}

Afghan cricket teams such as the Afghan Cheetahs frequently participate in domestic Pakistani tournaments.

{{Further|Health in Pakistan|Health in Afghanistan}}

Afghan refugees in Pakistan are looked upon and helped by the UNHCR, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), USAID and other aid agencies.{{cite web|author=APP |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/284650/fight-against-polio-afghan-refugees-should-go-back-says-gilani/ |title=Fighting disease: Gilani blames refugees for polio spread – The Express Tribune |publisher=Tribune.com.pk |date= 2011-10-30|access-date=2012-01-21}}

Most refugees live on the outskirts of the cities in Pakistan due to cheaper costs of living. They also have limited access to health care facilities, making them more at risk of various infections and diseases. Also, movement of people from one place to another serves as a source of dispersal of infections to new areas.{{cite journal |last1=Malik |first1=Muhammad Suleman |last2=Afzal |first2=Muhammad |last3=Farid |first3=Alveena |last4=Khan |first4=Fati Ullah |last5=Mirza |first5=Bushra |last6=Waheed |first6=Mohammad Tahir |title=Disease Status of Afghan Refugees and Migrants in Pakistan |journal=Frontiers in Public Health |date=3 July 2019 |volume=7 |page=185 |doi=10.3389/fpubh.2019.00185 |pmid=31334212 |pmc=6616124 |doi-access=free }}

When refugees transit from non-endemic region to an endemic region, they are more susceptible to local diseases as compared to indigenous population, as they are not immune to native strains. The communicable and non-communicable disease burden is double on Pakistan as it is presently passing through an epidemiological transition.{{cite journal |last1=Lopez |first1=Alan D |last2=Mathers |first2=Colin D |last3=Ezzati |first3=Majid |last4=Jamison |first4=Dean T |last5=Murray |first5=Christopher JL |title=Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001: systematic analysis of population health data |journal=The Lancet |date=May 2006 |volume=367 |issue=9524 |pages=1747–1757 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68770-9 |pmid=16731270 |s2cid=22609505 }}

According to the Commissionerate Afghan Refugees (CAR), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), most of the deaths amongst the Afghan refugees occur due to cardiovascular problems.Risk of various health conditions, like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, is expected to be more among refugees due to starvation.{{cite journal |last1=Sparen |first1=P. |title=Long term mortality after severe starvation during the siege of Leningrad: prospective cohort study |journal=BMJ |date=3 January 2004 |volume=328 |issue=7430 |pages=11–0 |doi=10.1136/bmj.37942.603970.9A |pmid=14660443 |pmc=313894 }}

The total rate of cardiac patients is 6.67/1000. Stress is an important risk factor as migration involves the breaking of relation with family, friends, culture and social interactions. Most prevalent infections in the refugee population in Pakistan are the respiratory tract infections (48.05%). Whereas, skin diseases and diarrhea collectively affect 21.08% of the Afghan refugees.

The table below shows the number of deaths per year due to the disease burden from the year 2012 to 2016.See Table 1 in {{cite journal |doi=10.3389/fpubh.2019.00185|doi-access=free|title=Disease Status of Afghan Refugees and Migrants in Pakistan|year=2019|last1=Malik|first1=Muhammad Suleman|last2=Afzal|first2=Muhammad|last3=Farid|first3=Alveena|last4=Khan|first4=Fati Ullah|last5=Mirza|first5=Bushra|last6=Waheed|first6=Mohammad Tahir|journal=Frontiers in Public Health|volume=7|page=185|pmid=31334212|pmc=6616124}}

Maternal deaths account for a substantial burden of mortality among Afghan refugee women. Due to pregnancy or childbirth related complications, deaths of more than half million women occur every year.{{cite web| url = https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/mdg2007.pdf| title = Reference at www.un.org}} According to the deaths record census, between January 20, 1999, and August 31, 2000, most of the women of reproductive age died due to maternal causes.{{cite journal |last1=Bartlett |first1=Linda A |last2=Jamieson |first2=Denise J |last3=Kahn |first3=Tila |last4=Sultana |first4=Munawar |last5=Wilson |first5=Hoyt G |last6=Duerr |first6=Ann |title=Maternal mortality among Afghan refugees in Pakistan, 1999–2000 |journal=The Lancet |date=23 February 2002 |volume=359 |issue=9307 |pages=643–649 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(02)07808-X |pmid=11879858 |s2cid=43419717 }}

1/([maternal deaths/women aged 15–49])

Pakistan is amongst the top five countries having high rate of tuberculosis (TB).{{Cite web|url=http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/m/abstract/Js23360en/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221152344/http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/m/abstract/Js23360en/|archive-date=December 21, 2017|title=Global Tuberculosis Report 2017. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2017|website=apps.who.int}}

In 2011, the National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTP) achieved 64% detection rate for tuberculosis cases in Pakistan.{{cite journal |last1=Fatima |first1=R. |last2=Harris |first2=R. J. |last3=Enarson |first3=D. A. |last4=Hinderaker |first4=S. G. |last5=Qadeer |first5=E. |last6=Ali |first6=K. |last7=Bassilli |first7=A. |title=Estimating tuberculosis burden and case detection in Pakistan |journal=The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease |date=1 January 2014 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=55–60 |doi=10.5588/ijtld.13.0198 |pmid=24365553 |hdl=1956/10592 |hdl-access=free }} In Afghan refugees a total of 541 new TB cases were reported during years 2012–2015, however, no case has been reported between 2016 and 2018.

Various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are malarial endemic regions.{{cite journal |last1=Howard |first1=Natasha |last2=Guinness |first2=Lorna |last3=Rowland |first3=Mark |last4=Durrani |first4=Naeem |last5=Hansen |first5=Kristian S. |last6=Ribeiro |first6=Guilherme S. |title=Cost-effectiveness of adding indoor residual spraying to case management in Afghan refugee settlements in Northwest Pakistan during a prolonged malaria epidemic |journal=PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |date=23 October 2017 |volume=11 |issue=10 |pages=e0005935 |doi=10.1371/journal.pntd.0005935 |pmid=29059179 |pmc=5695615 |doi-access=free }} Malarial control remains challenging as it develops resistance against insecticides and antimalarials in use. Migration of 3 million afghan refugees to Pakistan was vulnerable because they settled in malaria endemic regions.

A total of 10710 malarial cases were reported from the year 2012 to 2018, with a total of 3 deaths from malaria. P. Vivax was most prevalent in the reported cases. Surprisingly, only three malaria-related deaths were reported in the 7 years span, although the number of positive cases was quite high. This may be because of underreporting of deaths caused by malaria and the actual number could be high.

The global drive to eliminate polio, which has gone on for 31 years and consumed over $16 billion, has been set back again by the new reported cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2019 there were a total of 42 polio paralysis cases in the two countries.{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/15/health/polio-pakistan-afghanistan.html |title = Polio Cases Surge in Pakistan and Afghanistan|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 2019-07-15|last1 = Mcneil|first1 = Donald G. Jr.}} Pakistan and Afghanistan form a single epidemiological block with a regular cross-border movement, which maintains the flow of the poliovirus in both directions of the border. The movement of people crossing the border has largely been unchecked or uncontrolled. In 2015, most reported cases of polio in Afghanistan were from Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan, and were genetically linked to cases in Pakistan. All cases of polio in these border areas are reported in the mobile population, especially the returning displaced population.{{cite journal |last1=Khan |first1=Muhammad Umair |last2=Ahmad |first2=Akram |last3=Balkrishnan |first3=Rajesh |title=Polio and cross-border management |journal=The Lancet Infectious Diseases |date=February 2017 |volume=17 |issue=2 |page=136 |doi=10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30012-9 |pmid=28134106 |doi-access=free }} Among Afghan refugees in Pakistan, only one case of polio was reported in June 2016. The percentage coverage of immunization in children among Afghan refugees was 100% from 2012 to 2018. It was only possible due to the efforts of Pakistan Government immunization program.{{Cite report |hdl=10665/252828 |title=Report on the technical consultation on poliomyelitis eradication in Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan, 28–29 June 2016 |date=2016 |website=World Health Organization}}

Large number of Afghans are suffering from mental illness. The commonest among these are: depression, anxiety, adjustment disorder, psychosomatic disorder and PTSD. Prevalence of mental issues among refugee children has also been reported. Most common presentations in the local clinic are medically unexplained aches and pains.{{cite journal |first1=Amin A. Muhammad |last1=Gadit |date=February 2011 |title=Refugee Mental Health: Is it an unrelieved burden? |journal=Journal of Pakistan Medical Association |volume=61 |issue=2 |pages=193–4 |pmid=21375178 |url=https://jpma.org.pk/article-details/2596 }} Observed rate of psychological disturbances in Afghan refugees is equivalent to 0.22 per 1,000 persons.

{{Further|Deportation of undocumented Afghans from Pakistan}}

{{Further|Persecution of Hazara people|Crime in Pakistan}}

Afghans living in Pakistan are vulnerable to torture, persecution and mistreatment.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-refugees-idUSKBN0LB06B20150207 |title=Afghan families flee persecution in Pakistan after school attack: IOM |publisher=Guernicamag.com |first=Jessica |last=Donati |date=July 15, 2010 |access-date=2015-09-30}} They have often been targeted by Pakistani authorities.{{cite web|url=http://www.guernicamag.com/features/1884/garcia_7_15_10/ |title=Guernica / By Bread Alone |publisher=Guernicamag.com |date=July 15, 2010 |access-date=2012-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107133804/http://www.guernicamag.com/features/1884/garcia_7_15_10/ |archive-date=January 7, 2012 }} After the 2014 Peshawar school massacre by members of Tehrik-i-Taliban, the militants, all of whom were foreign nationals, comprising one Chechen, three Arabs and two Afghans and the attackers launched from a refugee camp, the government of Pakistan decided to deport tens of thousands of Afghan refugees. The strain on relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan and Afghanistan's relations with India have also contributed to anti-Afghan sentiment.{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1192625/afghan-refugees-pakistan-feel-heat-rising-regional-tensions/|title=Afghan refugees in Pakistan feel heat of rising regional tensions|date=October 3, 2016|website=The Express Tribune}}

The influx of Afghan refugees since the 1980s has contributed to increased sectarian violence, drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime in Pakistan.{{cite web |url=http://global-studies.doshisha.ac.jp/english/i18n/images/theme1/Dotani_Full_paper.pdf |title=The Impact of Afghan crisis on Pakistani Society since 1979 till date |publisher=global-studies.doshisha.ac.jp |first=Abdul Nasir |last=Dotani |year=2012 |access-date=2012-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106034542/http://global-studies.doshisha.ac.jp/english/i18n/images/theme1/Dotani_Full_paper.pdf |archive-date=2014-01-06 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/04/bnp-rejects-census-in-afghan-refugees%E2%80%99-presence/ |title=BNP rejects census in Afghan refugees' presence |editor=Shahzada Zulfiqar |newspaper=Pakistan Today |date=April 24, 2011|access-date=2012-01-21}}{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/13/stories/2005051304491100.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314152411/http://www.hindu.com/2005/05/13/stories/2005051304491100.htm |archive-date=March 14, 2007 |title=Pakistan's Afghan problem |editor=Muralidhar Reddy |newspaper=The Hindu |date=May 13, 2005 |access-date=2012-01-21}} According to the Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951, people who migrated to Pakistan before 18 April 1951 (and their descendants) are Pakistani citizens. Although the act was directed at Muhajir settlers who arrived in Pakistan following the partition of India in 1947, it generally included all migrant groups (including Afghans).{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1276821|title=Afghan refugees' children can't get CNICs: Nisar|first=Iftikhar A.|last=Khan|date=August 11, 2016|website=DAWN.COM}} Those who immigrated after this date are required to apply for Pakistani citizenship and identity documents. It is estimated that over 200,000 Afghans who arrived after 1951 have obtained Pakistani citizenship and identity documents, such as Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs), without formal applications. In 2015, Pakistani authorities pledged to invalidate the documents, making older Afghans illegal immigrants.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/863329/no-country-for-old-afghans-post-1951-immigrants-to-be-considered-illegal|title=No country for old Afghans: 'Post-1951 immigrants to be considered illegal'|work=The Express Tribune|date=3 April 2015|access-date=4 April 2015|first=Riaz|last=Ahmad}}{{cite news |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1513157 |title=Nadra cancels ex-senator Hamdullah's citizenship |publisher=Dawn News |date=October 27, 2019 |access-date=2021-07-30}}{{cite news |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1599341 |title=200,000 CNICs fraudulently obtained by Afghans cancelled |publisher=Dawn News |date=January 3, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30}}{{cite news |url=https://pajhwok.com/2021/01/03/pakistan-scraps-200000-id-cards-issued-to-afghans/ |title=Pakistan scraps 200,000 ID cards issued to Afghans |publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News |date=January 3, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30}}{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistan-cancels-200000-fake-citizen-id-cards-held-by-afghan-refugees/article33486026.ece |title=Pakistan cancels 200,000 fake citizen ID cards held by Afghan refugees |work=The Hindu |date=January 3, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30}} National Database and Registration Authority and passport officials, union councils and political activists were found to have created fake identities and sell Pakistani national identity cards to Afghan migrants.{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/933042/revealed-nadra-men-helped-terrorists-get-pakistani-identity-cards/|title=Revealed: 'NADRA men helped terrorists get Pakistani identity cards'|date=August 6, 2015|website=The Express Tribune}}

Thousands of Afghans were reported in Pakistani jails in May 2011, most of whom were arrested for offenses ranging from petty crimes to not having a proof of registration (PoR) card, Pakistani visa or Afghan passport.{{cite news|url=https://pajhwok.com/2011/05/31/pakistan-afghanistan-discuss-prisoner-swap/|title=Pakistan, Afghanistan discuss prisoner swap|date=May 31, 2011|publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News|access-date=November 12, 2011}}{{cite news|url=https://pajhwok.com/2011/06/16/afghanistan-pakistan-move-toward-prisoner-exchange/|title=Afghanistan, Pakistan move toward prisoner exchange|date=June 16, 2011|publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News|access-date=November 12, 2011}} In 2007, 337 Afghan nationals were arrested for illegally travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj on fake Pakistani passports. After serving prison sentences and paying fines, they were released on the condition they will not enter Pakistan illegally again.{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Afghans-caught-with-fake-Pak-passports/articleshow/1825101.cms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130426111036/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2007-03-28/pakistan/27885103_1_afghan-nationals-passports-chaman |archive-date=April 26, 2013 |title=Afghans caught with fake Pak passports |date=March 28, 2007 |work=The Times of India |url-status=live |access-date=2012-01-21}}

Issuing CNICs to the remaining registered Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan, many of which were born inside Pakistan, has been debated. Several Pakistani politicians objected to the idea; one said, "They have overstayed their welcome, scattered across our cities and taken up our jobs".{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/614533|title=Afghan refugees a problem for Nadra|first=the|last=Newspaper|date=March 19, 2011|website=DAWN.COM}} The Pakistan Falah Party led a July 2016 protest against Afghan nationals in Haripur.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1147922/extreme-measures-go-afghani-go-campaign-launched-haripur|title=Extreme measures: 'Go Afghani Go' campaign launched in Haripur|work=The Express Tribune|access-date=25 July 2016|date=24 July 2016}}

File:Flickr - The U.S. Army - Stopping timber smuggling.jpg intercept illegal lumber smuggled through Kunar Province in Afghanistan into neighboring Pakistan.]]

Smuggling became a major business after the establishment of the Durand Line in 1893, which is now controlled by a large organized-crime network on both sides of the border. Major items smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan have been opium, hashish, heroin, lumber,{{cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=52416&Cat=7&dt=6/14/2011 |title=Action against Afghan refugees on the cards |publisher=Thenews.com.pk |date=June 14, 2011 |access-date=2012-01-21}} precious stones, copper, automobiles and electronics.

The drugs trade and opium production in Afghanistan have taken a toll on Pakistan.{{cite journal | last=Haider | first=Ziad | url=http://www.stimson.org/images/uploads/research-pdfs/XINJIANG.pdf | title=Sino-Pakistan relations and Xinjiang's Uyghurs: Politics, Trade, and Islam along the Karakoram Highway | journal=Asian Survey | year=2005 | volume=45 | page=533 | issue=4 | archive-date=2012-05-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507200447/http://www.stimson.org/images/uploads/research-pdfs/XINJIANG.pdf | doi=10.1525/as.2005.45.4.522 | access-date=2011-11-14 }} According to a 2001 report, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban government) have been unable to stop the refining and export of heroin stockpiles through its borders. The immediate result has been the extensive smuggling of drugs into Pakistan.{{cite web|url=https://www.opioids.com/afghanistan/taliban.html |title=Heroin and the Taliban |publisher=Opioids.com |date=2001-10-02 |access-date=2012-01-21}}

{{Further|Terrorism in Pakistan|Taliban insurgency}}

According to Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, "families of Afghanistan's Taliban reside in his country, including in areas around the capital, Islamabad, and the insurgent group's members receive some medical treatment in local hospitals."{{cite news |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/south-central-asia_families-afghan-taliban-live-pakistan-interior-minister-says/6207547.html |title=Families of Afghan Taliban Live in Pakistan, Interior Minister Says |publisher=Voice of America |date=June 27, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-28}} Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Hina Rabbani Khar, claimed in 2011 that the Taliban residing in Pakistan had assassinated Burhanuddin Rabbani in Kabul, Afghanistan.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/306490/pakistan-blames-afghan-refugees-for-rabbani-murder|title=Pakistan blames Afghan refugees for Rabbani's murder|publisher=The Express Tribune|date=December 14, 2011|access-date=2011-12-14}}{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/306355/policy-rethink-government-to-redraw-key-pacts-with-us/|title=Policy rethink: Government to redraw key pacts with US|work=Express Tribune|date=December 14, 2011|access-date=14 December 2011}} {{blockquote|"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."{{cite news |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2312798/most-afghan-refugees-support-taliban-pm |title=Most Afghan refugees support Taliban: PM |publisher=The Express Tribune |date=July 29, 2021 |access-date=2021-07-30}}|Imran Khan|July 2021}} Afghan militants sometimes enter Pakistan's border regions for shelter. Due to Pakistan's porous border with Afghanistan, it is difficult for local authorities and security agencies to track the movement of Afghan militants into the country. In 2003, 246 Taliban were arrested in a Quetta hospital after they were wounded in Afghanistan: "Forty-seven of the arrested Afghani elements have been handed over to the Afghan government, while the remaining detainees are being investigated by the security apparatus".{{cite news|url=https://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=156037|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205105017/http://www.paktribune.com/news/print.php?id=156037|archive-date=December 5, 2014|title=246 Taliban arrested from hospitals within a month|publisher=Pak Tribune|date=October 3, 2003|access-date=June 3, 2012}} After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1970s, Pakistan's government under Zia-ul-Haq (in conjunction with the United States and Saudi Arabia) supported Afghan mujahideen forces with weapons to fight the Soviet-backed Afghan government. Operation Cyclone is regarded as contributing to the start of militant activities in Pakistan's tribal areas.{{cite book|title=The Gem Hunter: The Adventures of an American in Afghanistan|last1=Bowersox|first1=Gary W.|year=2004|publisher=GeoVision, Inc.|location=United States|isbn=0-9747323-1-1|page=100|quote=To launch this plan, Bhutto recruited and trained a group of Afghans in the Bala-Hesar of Peshawar, in Pakistan's North-west Frontier Province. Among these young men were Massoud, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and other members of Jawanan-e Musulman. Massoud's mission to Bhutto was to create unrest in northern Afghanistan. It served Massoud's interests, which were apparently opposition to the Soviets and independence for Afghanistan. Later, after Massoud and Hekmatyar had a terrible falling-out over Massoud's opposition to terrorist tactics and methods, Massoud overthrew from Jawanan-e Musulman. He joined Rabani's newly created Afghan political party, Jamiat-i-Islami, in exile in Pakistan.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVAN9pjnRzMC&pg=PA100|access-date=2010-08-22}}

In the past, American drone attacks in Pakistan often targeted members of militant groups (the Haqqani network, Hezb-e-Islami, the Taliban, al-Qaida, Chechens, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and East Turkestan Islamic Movement amongst others) hiding in Pakistan's bordering tribal areas, near Afghan refugee camps. Several Afghan refugees have been charged by Pakistani authorities with terrorism-related activities in Pakistan. The 2009 Lahore police academy attacks, blamed on the Pakistani militant groups (Fedayeen al-Islam and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan), involved one Afghan who received a 10-year sentence.{{cite news|url=http://archives.dawn.com/archives/65473|title=Manawan attack: Afghan jailed for 10 years|publisher=Dawn News|access-date=June 3, 2012}} In the 2011 Dera Ghazi Khan bombings, a teenaged Afghan boy (Fida Hussain) from the tribal areas was arrested as a suspect.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/142210/militants-attack-shrine-in-dg-khan-3-dead/|title=DG Khan shrine bombing: Death toll reaches 50|newspaper=Express Tribune|date=April 4, 2011|access-date=June 3, 2012}} A group of militants was involved in the 2015 Camp Badaber attack.{{cite news|title=PAF base attack planned in Afghanistan: DG ISPR|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/959273/paf-base-attack-planned-in-afghanistan-dg-ispr/|access-date=18 September 2015|newspaper=Express Tribune|date=18 September 2015}} Several Afghans have been captured while attempting to recruit and smuggle people for militancy in Afghanistan.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/866964/10-lahore-madrassah-students-caught-before-being-trafficked-to-kabul/|title=10 madrassah students arrested in Lahore before being trafficked to Kabul|first=Zahid|last=Gishkori|date=9 April 2015|access-date=9 April 2015|work=The Express Tribune}} Rehman Malik, the former interior minister of Pakistan has commented this about Afghan refugees:

{{Blockquote|Pakistan has long sheltered Afghan refugees [but they are now acting] against Pakistan. (Afghan) nationals will not be allowed to carry out criminal activities (here). There will be complete restriction on the movement of Afghan refugees in Balochistan and KP. We have given a one-month deadline to illegal immigrants to get their refugee cards. Otherwise, they will be arrested.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/249841/taliban-moving-to-quetta-from-fata/|title=Taliban moving to Quetta from FATA|work=Express Tribune|date=September 11, 2011|access-date=September 11, 2011}}|Rehman Malik|September 2011}}

After the December 2014 Peshawar school massacre, Pakistani authorities cracked down on Afghan refugee settlements to apprehend illegal immigrants. At least 30,000 Afghans left for Afghanistan, of whom nearly 2,000 were forecully sent there due to a lack of legal documentation.{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1162313|title=30,000 Afghans left Pakistan after Army Public School attack: IOM|work=Dawn|date=8 February 2015|access-date=8 February 2015}} In February 2015, over 1,000 Afghans per day were reportedly returning to Afghanistan at Torkham Crossing.{{cite news|author1=Joseph Goldstein|title=Refugees Are Pushed to Exits in Pakistan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/world/asia/refugees-are-pushed-to-exits-in-pakistan.html|access-date=February 24, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=February 23, 2015|quote=they all say they have been beaten and slapped and told nobody in Pakistan wants them anymore}} By September 2015, over 137,000 Afghans had returned to Afghanistan.{{Cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/950536/coming-home-to-war-afghan-refugees-return-reluctantly-from-pakistan/|title=Coming home to war: Afghan refugees return reluctantly from Pakistan|date=September 4, 2015|website=The Express Tribune}}

• Abdul Ahad Karzai, former politician in Afghanistan
• Afghan Girl, appeared on the June 1985 cover of National Geographic
• Aqeela Asifi, educator and winner of 2015 Nansen Refugee Award
• Aryana Sayeed, Afghan singer
• Hamid Karzai, politician in Afghanistan
• Hasti Gul, cricket player
• Karim Sadiq, cricket player
• Naghma, Afghan singer
• Niloofar Rahmani, former Afghan female pilot now residing in the United States
• Yalda Hakim, Australian journalist

{{Portal|Afghanistan|Pakistan}}

• Afghan diaspora
• Pakistanis in Afghanistan
• Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
• Anti-Afghan sentiment

• {{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/93178/peshawar-afghans-travel-on-fake-pakistani-passports|title=Afghans travel on fake Pakistani passports|work=Bureau report|date=9 April 2003 |publisher=Dawn News}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/spotlight-on-afghan-refugees-in-pakistan/2011/11/15/gIQAfB1BYN_story.html|title=Spotlight on Afghan refugees in Pakistan|work=Kiran Brulliard|publisher=The Washington Post}}
• {{citeweb|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1781481|title=Panel to spot officials issuing 'fake passports' to Afghans|work=Iftikar Khan|publisher=Dawn News}}
• {{cite web|url=https://propakistani.pk/2022/09/16/gang-arrested-for-sending-afghans-abroad-on-fake-pakistani-passports/|title=Gang Arrested for Sending Afghans Abroad on Fake Pakistani Passports|work=Asma Sajid|publisher=Pro Pakistani}}
• {{citeweb|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2440920/saudi-arabia-recovers-over-12000-pakistani-passports-from-afghan-nationals|title=Saudi Arabia recovers over 12,000 Pakistani passports from Afghan nationals|publisher=Express Tribune}}

{{Reflist|2}}

• [https://data.unhcr.org/en/country/pak Official website of the UNHCR – Pakistan]

{{Afghan diaspora}}

{{Pashtun diaspora}}

{{Immigration to Pakistan}}

{{Social issues in Pakistan}}

{{Afghanistan–Pakistan relations}}

Pakistan

Pakistan

Category:Immigration to Pakistan

Category:Refugees in Pakistan