In the wake of the sad episode at Torkham, Pakistani authorities have tightened their grip on the Afghan refugees in Pakistan, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the PTI-led government has started an operation. Under a search-and-strike operation in the province, more than 7,000 Afghan national have been arrested and deported to Afghanistan under the Foreigners Act.



The UNHCR, on the other hand, has doubled the cash grants amount from $200 to $400. But in Afghanistan the Afghan and allied forces are fighting Da’ish in the region bordering Pakistan. Peace is more than a decade away.



According to international law, a host country cannot push out the refugees from their soil without their consent. It was revealed by UNHCR facts and figures that the funds provided to refugees were barely enough to get them to their homeland and they struggled to buy a house in Afghanistan.



Afghan nationals settled in Pakistan have struggled for more than three decades to find shelter. And now that they finally have shelter, they are being forced to leave the country. Their abandoned properties will undoubtedly be targeted by profiteers and opportunists.



The government of K-P have placed a six-month ban on property mutation. Afghans being forced to leave Pakistan have no choice but to either entrust their Pakistani friends to look after their homes or to abandon their properties, like they did three decades ago when Soviet forces marched into their country.



Migration of the Afghan national has also affected local business. Board Bazar, Peshawar, once a vibrant centre of trade between locals and Afghan nationals, has been negatively impacted. Now, residents of Hayatabad and University Town, have to travel at least two kilometres to buy basic commodities.



On the Torkham border, there was once an abundance of hotels that daily served over 3,000 travellers from both countries. There was a time when Islamabad and Kabul believed in diplomatic and economic ties. Mistrust had not yet been nurtured. But now the Afghan government is playing into the hands of other powers and thus, business has slumped and peoples in both countries are suffering. Half of the hotels on the Torkham border have shut down, more than 3,000 people are jobless and the business has shrunk to a bare minimum.



Pakistan must adopt a more sympathetic posture towards Afghan nationals and allow them to remain in the country until they have sold their homes. Alternatively, those with local business should be provided with a visa that enables an extended stay. Afghans, on the other hand, should avoid border disputes with Pakistan. Such developments would boost cordial relations between the two neighbours.



Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2016.