The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has disclosed that as of June 2023, the number of Afghans living in Pakistan has swelled to a staggering 3.5 million. Shockingly, only 1.3 million of them are officially registered with the authorities, leaving a significant portion of this population unaccounted for.
According to the UN agency’s data, approximately 775,000 Afghans are residing in Pakistan without any official registration, raising concerns about their legal status and access to essential services.
The distribution of Afghan citizens in Pakistan is predominantly urban or semi-urban, constituting 68.8% of the population, while the remaining 31.2% reside in 54 different areas, including rural villages.
Regionally, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa hosts the largest share of illegal Afghan residents, with 52.6% of Pakistan’s unregistered Afghans living in this province. Balochistan follows with 24.1%, Punjab with 14.3%, Sindh with 5.5%, Islamabad with 3.1%, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir with 0.3%.
The surge in Afghan arrivals in Pakistan can be traced back to August 2021, coinciding with the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces. Since then, over 600,000 new Afghan refugees and migrants have entered Pakistan, exacerbating an already complex situation.
In addition to the recent arrivals, Pakistan is currently hosting 1.3 million Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (PoR) Cards issued by the government, according to UNHCR spokesperson Qaiser Khan Afridi. These individuals have legal recognition, unlike the unregistered Afghan population.
Over the past two years, the UNHCR has facilitated the voluntary repatriation of over 16,000 Afghans back to Afghanistan, helping some of them return to their homeland.
One challenge facing Afghan refugees in Pakistan is the expiration of the Afghanistan Citizen Card (ACC) issued by the government in 2017. The UNHCR is actively engaged in discussions with Pakistani authorities to extend the registration cards, offering hope for Afghan refugees facing uncertainty and anxiety.
If Pakistan continues its ad-hoc refugee policies without increased donor support and third-state settlement assistance, the situation may deteriorate into a full-blown crisis. Pakistan’s economic growth for the fiscal year 2023 has plummeted from 2% to a projected 0.29%, leaving limited resources to address the needs of the burgeoning Afghan refugee population in terms of housing, livelihood, education, and healthcare.
Notably, the presence of illegal Afghan nationals has also had an impact on Pakistan’s economy. These individuals have reportedly expanded their businesses by importing foreign products into local markets and evading taxes. Moreover, some unregistered Afghan residents are allegedly involved in the smuggling of narcotics and other banned goods, exploiting the transit trade system.
The evolving Afghan refugee situation in Pakistan underscores the urgency of addressing the humanitarian and economic challenges posed by this growing population while ensuring their legal status and access to essential services. The outcome of ongoing discussions between the UNHCR and Pakistani authorities regarding the extension of registration cards will be pivotal in shaping the future of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
