Amid the aftermath of the forced return of a large number of Afghans from Pakistan, particularly children, a quarter of a million Afghan children are in dire need of basic necessities like education, food, and homes. Save the Children has raised concerns about the situation, pointing out that many families are arriving in Afghanistan with little to no possessions, and almost half of the returnees are children.
The crackdown on foreigners in Pakistan, including 1.7 million Afghans, has led to over 520,000 Afghans leaving Pakistan since last October. The returnees are facing significant challenges, with a survey revealing that nearly all families lack food security for the next one to two months. Moreover, almost two-thirds of the children have not been able to enroll in schools in Afghanistan due to a lack of necessary documents, despite having attended schools in Pakistan.
The return of thousands of Afghan children and families to Afghanistan is putting a strain on the already limited resources in the country, as highlighted by Arshad Malik, the country director for Save the Children in Afghanistan. The situation is further complicated by the ban on girls attending school beyond the sixth grade in Afghanistan, adding to the hurdles faced by the returning children. Additionally, many of these undocumented children were born in Pakistan and have lived there for most of their lives, making Afghanistan a foreign land to them. The massive influx of Afghans from both Pakistan and Iran in recent times has added to the complexity of the situation.
Despite the challenges, the Afghan Refugee Ministry has assured that education is available for any child missing out on classes, even if they lack the necessary documents. The spokesman for the ministry, Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, emphasized that children could register and continue learning regardless of their legal status. The forced return of Afghans from Pakistan has led to a situation where many long-term residents fear arrest and are fleeing back to Afghanistan, creating a humanitarian crisis that requires urgent attention and resources.