by Misbah Saba Malik
ISLAMABAD, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Madiha Absar, a 38-year-old Afghan refugee, moved to Pakistan 18 years ago after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, and since then she has been dreaming of peace in her homeland so that she may return safely with her family.
"After the exit of the foreign forces, it is relatively peaceful in Afghanistan, but my dream is far from being fulfilled and my family hesitates in taking the decision," Absar told Xinhua.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are over 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
In a conversation with Xinhua, Qaiser Khan Afridi, the spokesperson for the UNHCR Pakistan said that since January 2021, about 250,000 Afghan refugees came to Pakistan and settled in different areas.
"Pakistan itself is facing tough economic challenges, so in this situation, we have appealed to international donors to support Afghans within their country so that their issues can be addressed at home," he said.
The official said they are mapping out plans to help the newly arrived refugees consisting of a large number of youngsters to develop skills so that they can be useful in Pakistan and help their country when they finally returned.
Waseem Khan, a 23-year-old TikTok creator with over 100,000 followers, has no idea how Afghanistan looks because his parents had to sneak out of the country when he was less than two years old to save his siblings.
"I have a lot of fans and friends in Pakistan, and in Afghanistan. I have a large number of relatives many of whom I never met or spoke to," Khan told Xinhua.
Khan hopes to end the miseries of his relatives and those living in Afghanistan, saying that they need support from the international community in the absence of job and business opportunities.
At a green belt located near the power circles of Pakistan's capital, some Afghan refugees have staged a sit-in under the open skies for days, demanding Western countries shoulder responsibility and help their country overcome the economic crisis.
"We are in this situation because of the war, and those who are responsible for the war and unrest should come forward to help us. After their exit, war is over and peace has been largely restored, but we are exposed to hunger, disease, and extreme poverty," Torebaz Khan, a refugee taking part in the sit-in with his kids for over two weeks told Xinhua.
He said the only solution to the crisis is a strengthened Afghanistan where people have enough food and access to clean drinking water, quality education for kids as well as business and employment opportunities to make a decent livelihood. ■
