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Breaking News


AFGHANISTAN

October 24, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi


AFGHAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS GROUP REVEALS ANOTHER MEMBER HAS SPENT A MONTH IN
DETENTION


Afghan activist Munizha Siddiqi (file photo)


A women's rights group in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, said on October 24 that
one of its members has spent a month in detention on unknown charges, the latest
sign of a severe crackdown by the ruling Taliban militants on activists fighting
against official restrictions on almost every aspect of their lives.

Munizha Siddiqi was arrested on September 24, the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan
Women said, becoming the third member of the group to be detained. The report of
her detention comes after the detentions of Neda Parwani and Zholya Parsi, also
members of the group, who were arrested on September 19.

“Their only crime is seeking justice against the draconian Taliban policies,"
Laila Baseem, a group member, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi.

The Islamist Taliban regained power in August 2021 after a two-decade insurgency
against the Western-backed government and have deeply restricted the rights and
freedoms of women and girls.

Last month, the UN rights chief, Volker Turk, accused the Taliban of a "shocking
level of oppression" of women and girls and said human rights in the country
were in a state of collapse.

Hundreds of Afghan women have been detained by the Taliban and Baseem said that,
while the detention of some of her colleagues came to light recently, others
have been languishing in prison without being noticed.

“Some time ago, the Taliban arrested approximately eight girls, and some of them
have not been in contact with their families,” Baseem said, adding that the
families of some detained or disappeared activists are reluctant to make their
ordeal public because they fear attracting attention.

The Taliban didn't respond to repeated Radio Azadi requests to talk about the
arrests of Afghan women activists and its hard-line government has refused to
confirm their detention.

Upon seizing power, the Taliban gave assurances that it would not return to the
infamously brutal rule it employed while first in power from 1996 to 2001.

Since the takeover, the group has banned women from education, employment, and
public life with few exceptions. Women are also required to observe a strict
Islamic dress code and are required to travel with male guardians. They have
been deprived of leisure and banned from parks and public baths in policies
rooted in the Taliban's strict interpretation of Islamic law.

In its latest report on human rights in the country, the United Nations
Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) said the Taliban restrictions against
women are becoming increasingly worse.

“The de facto authorities continue to arrest human rights defenders,
particularly women's rights activists and media workers, on unknown grounds,”
the report noted.

WRITING BY RFE/RL'S ABUBAKAR SIDDIQUE

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MORE NEWS

November 10, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi


PAKISTAN EXTENDS REPATRIATION CAMPAIGN TO AFGHANS LIVING LEGALLY IN THE COUNTRY


Afghan refugees rest upon their arrival from Pakistan at a registration center
near the Afghan-Pakistani border in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar
Province on November 6.


Pakistan has announced the expansion of its ongoing drive to expel undocumented
refugees, saying it will soon also begin deporting millions of Afghans living
legally in the country back to Afghanistan.

More than 300,000 primarily undocumented Afghans have left Pakistan after
Islamabad announced last month that more than 1.7 million undocumented
foreigners should leave by November 1 or face arrests and deportations.

They are among the 4.4 million Afghans Islamabad estimates to be living in the
country. However, the UN says some 3.7 million Afghans fleeing conflict and
poverty live in Pakistan.

“Soon we will begin repatriating all the registered [Afghan] refugees,” Jan
Achakzai, the caretaker information minister in the southwestern Balochistan
Province, told journalists on November 9.

SEE ALSO:

THE AZADI BRIEFING: TALIBAN, PAKISTAN IN WAR OF WORDS OVER MASS EXPULSION OF
AFGHAN REFUGEES

Achakzai did not give a date for when the new repatriations will begin but said
the effort will start after Islamabad completes deporting undocumented Afghans.

“The Afghan leaders should prepare to look after their citizens,” he said. “We
are under no contractual obligation to look after these refugees.”

This is one of the first public announcements about extending Islamabad's
expulsion policy to Afghan refugees legally living in the country. Earlier,
Pakistani officials had insisted they were only seeking to expel Afghans and
other foreigners living illegally in the country.

The announcement follows the November 8 statement by Pakistan's caretaker prime
minister, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar. He said Islamabad was deporting Afghans in
response to Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers’ reluctance to cooperate with Islamabad
over the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Islamabad blames the TTP, which it says is sheltered by the Taliban, for rising
terrorist attacks.

WATCH: Thousands of Afghans forced to return to Afghanistan after a crackdown in
neighboring Pakistan say they now face life in makeshift camps without proper
sanitation or water.

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AFGHAN RETURNEES DESCRIBE DIRE CONDITIONS IN THEIR HOMELAND

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The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, however, has said the TTP is an
internal security issue for Pakistan that it cannot resolve.

The Afghan exodus from Pakistan continues at a steady pace. Taliban border
officials say several hundred Afghan refugee families are still arriving daily.

Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) have appealed to Islamabad to continue its protection of all
vulnerable Afghans.

“Afghanistan is going through a severe humanitarian crisis with several human
rights challenges, particularly for women and girls,” a statement by the two UN
organizations said on October 7.

“Such plans would have serious implications for all who have been forced to
leave the country and may face serious protection risks upon return,” the
statement added.

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November 10, 2023
 * By Abubakar Siddique


THE AZADI BRIEFING: TALIBAN, PAKISTAN IN WAR OF WORDS OVER MASS EXPULSION OF
AFGHAN REFUGEES


Afghan refugees settle in a camp near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in
Torkham, Afghanistan, after fleeing Pakistan on November 4.


Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues
in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's
what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.


THE KEY ISSUE

The Afghan Taliban and Pakistan have been engaged in an escalating war of words
over Islamabad's mass expulsion of Afghan refugees.

Last month, Islamabad ordered 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees and
migrants to leave the South Asian country or face arrest and forced deportation
after November 1. Over 300,000 Afghans, many with only the clothes on their
back, have returned to their homeland since then.

Pakistan said its decision was in response to the Taliban's refusal to expel the
Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) extremist group. Islamabad has accused the
Taliban of sheltering the TTP, which is waging a deadly insurgency against
Pakistan. The TTP has close ideological and organizational ties with the Afghan
Taliban.

"After noncooperation by the Afghan interim government, Pakistan has decided to
take matters into its own hands, and Pakistan's recent actions are neither
unexpected or surprising," Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar
said on November 8.

Chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, meanwhile, said on November 8 that
the group was not "responsible for maintaining peace in Pakistan."

Last week, the Taliban's defense minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, warned
Pakistan to "consider the consequences of its actions and sow as much as it can
reap."

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, told the BBC that Islamabad
was using the mass deportations to pressure the group to formally recognize the
border with Pakistan, which Afghanistan rejects.

Why It's Important: The war of words has exposed the escalating tensions between
the Taliban and Pakistan, longtime allies that appear to have fallen out.

The sides appear to be on a collision course, with little indication that they
can smooth over their growing differences.

There have been several rounds of deadly clashes between Pakistani and Taliban
forces in recent months, leading Islamabad to close the border.

What's Next: Pakistan and the Taliban appear likely to remain on a path of
confrontation. As their interests clash, Islamabad and the Taliban are likely to
continue seeing each other as adversaries.

Meanwhile, the continued mass expulsions of Afghans by Pakistan are likely to
worsen the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the world's largest.


WHAT TO KEEP AN EYE ON

The Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) extremist group claimed responsibility for the
latest attack targeting Afghanistan's Shi'ite Hazara minority.

On November 7, at least seven people were killed and 20 injured in a bomb attack
on a bus in the predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood of Dasht-e Barchi in Kabul.

"The situation was terrible," one eyewitness told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "I think
the casualties were high."

This was the third IS-K attack on the Shi'ite community in recent weeks. On
October 26, a bomb attack killed four people inside a sports club in Dasht-e
Barchi. In the deadliest attack, at least 25 worshippers were killed when a bomb
targeted a mosque in the northern city of Pul-e Khumri on October 13.

Why It's Important: The Taliban has pledged to protect Afghanistan's religious
minorities. But the Shi'ite community has accused the Taliban of failing to
prevent deadly attacks on Hazara.

IS-K's new wave of attacks has also raised questions about the Taliban's claims
that it has severely weakened the extremist group, which once controlled rural
territory in eastern Afghanistan.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or
tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org.

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe
here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

The Azadi Briefing will next appear on December 1.

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November 09, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi


WHILE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AFGHANS LEAVE PAKISTAN FOR AFGHANISTAN, RETURNEES
FROM IRAN SPIKE TOO


Afghan refugees in Pakistan walk toward the Torkham border crossing with
Afghanistan on November 3, following Pakistan's decision to expel people
illegally staying in the country.


As tens of thousands of Afghan refugees deported from Pakistan arrive in
Afghanistan, there has been a much quieter exodus along its western border,
where the number of Afghans coming back from Iran has doubled during the past
month.

Abdullah Qayomi, head of the ruling Taliban's refugee affairs at the Islam Qala
border gate in the western province of Herat, said 14,480 Afghans have arrived
at the crossing Qala this week alone, with daily numbers rising from about
1,500-2,000 to 3,000-4,500.

"When Pakistan made the decision to deport our countrymen, the figures started
to rise here [too]," Qayomi was quoted by AFP as saying.

Last month, Islamabad announced plans to deport hundreds of thousands of
undocumented Afghans from Pakistan, sparking warnings from international aid
agencies that the move could cause a humanitarian crisis.

WATCH: Thousands of Afghans forced to return to Afghanistan after a crackdown in
neighboring Pakistan say they now face life in makeshift camps without proper
sanitation or water.

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AFGHAN RETURNEES DESCRIBE DIRE CONDITIONS IN THEIR HOMELAND

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Since then, more than 300,000 Afghans have returned to their country from
Pakistan, where authorities have pledged to deport more than 1.7 million
undocumented Afghans.

Meanwhile, Tehran announced a similar plan that caught little attention, even
though the Middle Eastern country is home to millions of Afghans. In August
alone, some 46,000 Afghans returned voluntarily to Afghanistan from Iran, while
another 43,000 were deported for a lack of documentation.

In an attempt to settle the issue with Tehran, a delegation led by the Taliban
regime's de facto deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani
Baradar Akhund, is visiting Iran this week.

Still, this week Tehran banned Afghans with temporary work authorization from
seeking employment.

"I'm worried because if I am fired because of lacking a work permit, how will I
feed my seven-member family?” Enaytullah Alokozai, who works as an accountant
for an Iranian business, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.

SEE ALSO:

UN SOUNDS ALARM OVER 'DESPERATE' SITUATION OF AFGHANS FORCED TO RETURN FROM
PAKISTAN

“If I go to Afghanistan, there is no work there either. We are at an impasse,”
said Mustafa, a young Afghan man who has been working in Iran for a month.

Iran has hosted millions of Afghans for more than four decades. Still, Tehran
has often complained of the lack of international aid for hosting Afghans.

More than 70 percent of the 3.6 million Afghans who left their country after the
Taliban militants seized back power in August 2021 fled to Iran.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that 4.5 million
Afghans live in Iran. But Tehran estimates the number to be over 5 million.

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November 09, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
 * Will Tizard


THOUSANDS OF DESPERATE AFGHANS MAKE RISKY JOURNEYS INTO IRAN TO FIND WORK

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THOUSANDS OF DESPERATE AFGHANS MAKE RISKY JOURNEYS INTO IRAN TO FIND WORK

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Despite risks to their safety, thousands of Afghans -- often undocumented --
flock into Iran to find work. Laborers in the capital of Nimruz Province,
Zaranj, told RFE/RL why they take these risks. The UN estimates 2.6 million
Afghans live in Iran. Many fled their homeland to escape persecution and a
grinding economic crisis after the Taliban seized power in 2021.

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November 09, 2023
 * By RFE/RL


UN SOUNDS ALARM OVER 'DESPERATE' SITUATION OF AFGHANS FORCED TO RETURN FROM
PAKISTAN


An Afghan girl looks out from a car window as her family returns home, after
Pakistan ordered undocumented migrants to leave the country.


The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that
tens of thousands of Afghans, most of them children, who were forced to leave
Pakistan since the start of the month are in a dire humanitarian situation and
called for immediate action to alleviate their plight.

The OCHA's acting Humanitarian Coordinator Daniel Endres said that some 60
percent of a "staggering" 20,000-21,000 people who crossed into Afghanistan at
Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings between November 1-4 are children.

"Their condition is desperate, with many having travelled for days, unclear of
where to return to and stranded at the border," Endres was quoted as saying by
the OCHA on X, formerly known as Twitter.

More than 300,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since
Islamabad announced the repatriation of undocumented Afghan migrants on October
3. Since the deadline for voluntary returns expired on November 1, Islamabad has
begun forcefully deporting Afghans.

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AFGHAN RETURNEES DESCRIBE DIRE CONDITIONS IN THEIR HOMELAND

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Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban in Afghanistan have become more
strained due to the forced expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

"Funding is urgently required to provide immediate post-arrival assistance" for
those stuck at the border, Endres was quoted as saying.

Islamabad's move has stirred criticism, prompting a U.S. government watchdog to
express concern this week over the forced expulsions.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said it was
troubled by reports of increased detentions, violence, and intimidation against
Afghan refugee communities in Pakistan.

In a move to deflect the criticism, Pakistan’s acting Prime Minister Anwar
ul-Haq Kakar linked the government’s decision to expel the Afghan refugees and
asylum seekers to Afghanistan's Taliban-led government’s inability to stop
extremists.

Kakar told a news conference on November 8 that in the more than two years since
the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, the number of attacks by Tehrik-e
Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban or (TTP), has increased.

The Taliban has rejected Pakistan's accusations, with spokesman Zabihullah
Mujahid warning Pakistan not blame the extremist movement for its inability to
ensure its security.

Pakistan should solve its domestic issues on its own and not blame Afghanistan
for its failures, Mujahid said in response to Kakar's accusations.

WITH REPORTING BY RFE/RL'S RADIO MASHAAL

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November 08, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal


EXPULSIONS OF AFGHANS FOLLOW INCREASE IN TERRORISM IN PAKISTAN, SAYS ACTING PM


Pakistani acting Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar (file photo)


Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister linked the government’s move to expel Afghan
refugees and asylum seekers from Pakistan to the Afghan Taliban-led government’s
inability to stop extremists.

Acting Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar said at a news conference on November 8
that, in the more than two years since the Taliban regained power in
Afghanistan, the number of attacks by Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, also known as
the Pakistani Taliban or (TTP), has increased.

Kakar said that since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan the overall
number of terrorist incidents in Pakistan has increased by 60 percent. The
attacks have killed 2,267 people in the country.

In addition, 64 Afghans have been killed during anti-terrorist operations
involving Pakistani law enforcement agencies, he said, adding that all were
known to the Afghan authorities.

Pakistan has given a list of TTP members to the Taliban in Afghanistan and
shared other information, but they have not taken any serious action, he said.

SEE ALSO:

THE AZADI BRIEFING: AFGHAN TALIBAN BANS FIGHTERS FROM WAGING 'JIHAD' IN PAKISTAN


The prime minister said he has also asked the Taliban government in Afghanistan
to immediately arrest and hand over all Pakistanis living in Afghanistan who he
said are involved in terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban government, said the insecurity
in Pakistan cannot be attributed to the involvement of the Taliban. According to
Mujahid, Pakistan should solve its domestic issues on its own and not blame
Afghanistan for its failures.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban-led government,
also commented on security in Pakistan, saying in an interview with the BBC on
November 6 that the TTP attacks in the country have been going on for about 20
years. Muttaqi added that the attacks take place hundreds of kilometers from the
Afghan border.

In recent months, the officials of the Taliban government have reiterated that
they have not given shelter to the militants of the TTP or other groups and that
the country's territory is not used against any other state.

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'WE DON'T HAVE TOILETS': AFGHANS STRUGGLE AFTER CROSSING BORDER FROM PAKISTAN

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Relations between Islamabad and the Taliban in Afghanistan have become more
strained due to the forced expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

More than 300,000 Afghans have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan since
Islamabad announced the repatriation of undocumented Afghan migrants on October
3. Since the deadline for voluntary returns expired on November 1, Islamabad has
begun forcefully deporting Afghans.

A U.S. government watchdog this week expressed concern over the forced
expulsions. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said
it was troubled by reports of increased detentions, violence, and intimidation
against Afghan refugee communities in Pakistan.

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November 08, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
 * Will Tizard


AFGHAN RETURNEES DESCRIBE DIRE CONDITIONS IN THEIR HOMELAND

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AFGHAN RETURNEES DESCRIBE DIRE CONDITIONS IN THEIR HOMELAND

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Thousands of Afghans forced to return to Afghanistan after a crackdown in
neighboring Pakistan say they now face life in makeshift camps without proper
sanitation or water. The Afghan returnees also say they were only allowed to
bring $175 of their own money with them. Others express worry about where to go
in Afghanistan after having lived abroad for years. International human rights
groups are decrying conditions in camps set up by the Taliban but the Afghan
regime disputes the claims and says it is transporting the new arrivals to their
native regions.

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November 08, 2023
 * By Reid Standish
 * Katie Toth


PODCAST: WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT CHINA'S BELT AND ROAD AFTER 10 YEARS?


Chinese President Xi Jinping raises his glass and proposes a toast at the
welcome banquet of the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in
Beijing in April 2019.


Listen and follow Talking China In Eurasia

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | YouTube

Back when it was launched 10 years ago, Beijing dubbed it the "project of the
century" and it became known as Chinese leader Xi Jinping's signature foreign
policy initiative as he announced plans to revive the ancient Silk Road.



But what do we really know about the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- China's
global infrastructure program -- after a decade of investments around the world?

On the latest episode of Talking China In Eurasia, host Reid Standish is joined
by Jacob Mardell, the editorial coordinator for China at the German NGO N-Ost,
to unpack where the ambitious project stands today, dispel myths over how it
works, and take a deeper look at where it's headed.

Listen to the full episode here:

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WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT CHINA'S BELT AND ROAD AFTER 10 YEARS?

by RFE/RL
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Background Reading:

 * China's Xi Eyes Victory Lap For Belt And Road On Its 10th Anniversary,
   Despite Criticism
 * EU Unveils New Deals In Plan To Challenge China's Belt And Road
 * A Journey Along Montenegro's $1 Billion Chinese-Built Highway
 * Subscribe to RFE/RL's China In Eurasia newsletter
 * Listen to past episodes of Talking China In Eurasia

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November 08, 2023
 * By RFE/RL


'JUST SITTING IN THE DIRT': AFGHANS FORCED FROM PAKISTAN STRUGGLE TO FIND
SHELTER

Taliban security personnel direct Afghan returnees after they crossed over into
Afghanistan near the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan on November 5.

An estimated 300,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan in recent weeks following
Islamabad's order that 1.7 million undocumented refugees and migrants leave the
South Asian country or face arrest or expulsion.



Afghanistan's Taliban government is struggling to provide food, water,
sanitation, and tents for thousands of Afghans who have crossed over the border
from Pakistan. Many returnees came with only the clothes on their backs after a
November 1 deadline to leave Pakistan passed.

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November 07, 2023
 * By Jawid Hasanzada
 * Shareefullah Sharafat


'THERE IS NOTHING HERE': AFGHAN REFUGEES FORCED FROM PAKISTAN STRUGGLE TO FIND
SHELTER


Trucks loaded with goods arrive as Afghan nationals head back to Afghanistan at
the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan on October 30.


Nasrallah has spent days in a crowded makeshift camp for Afghan refugees
returning from neighboring Pakistan.

Like thousands of other returnees, he does not have proper shelter and sleeps
out in the open with his family.

"We are just sitting in the dirt," Nasrallah told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "There
is nothing here. There are no toilets, and the [Taliban] government has given us
nothing."

Nasrallah is among the estimated 300,000 Afghans who have been forced to leave
Pakistan in recent weeks.

Last month, Islamabad ordered 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees and
migrants to leave the South Asian country or face arrest and expulsion after
November 1.

The Taliban government and international aid agencies are struggling to cope as
up to 10,000 Afghans cross the border each day, many with only the clothes on
their backs.

The militants have established temporary camps for the returnees near the border
and promised to assist them. But many returnees complain of a lack of tents,
food, water, and sanitation.

WATCH: Afghans who have fled Pakistan to avoid arrest and deportation are living
in makeshift camps on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing.

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The immediate need for many is to find housing ahead of the harsh winter months
in Afghanistan, a mountainous country where temperatures can drop to as low as
minus 35 degrees Celsius. Rising prices and a shortage of rentals, however, have
put housing out of reach for many.

"We cannot find a house," Riyaz Ullah, an Afghan refugee who recently returned
from Pakistan, told Radio Azadi. "Even if we find one, the rent is very high,
and we cannot afford it."

"As the weather here gets cooler every day, I don't have any means to afford
rent," Ullah added.

Sohail Ahmad, an Afghan refugee who returned to his native Nangarhar Province in
eastern Afghanistan, says rents have skyrocketed amid the sudden influx of
hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees. He says a house that usually costs
around $40 per month to rent is going for triple that amount.

The cash-strapped Taliban government, which is under international sanctions, is
struggling to absorb the returning refugees.


Afghan refugees settle in a camp near the Torkham border crossing in Afghanistan
on November 3.

The Taliban has helped transport some of the returnees from Torkham and Chaman,
the two main border crossings with Pakistan. The hard-line Islamists are also
setting up additional temporary camps for the returnees, including in the
southern province of Uruzgan.

"We are building this camp to temporarily accommodate those lacking housing
until they can rent houses or find other long-term housing options," said Ali
Ahmad Jan, the Taliban's governor of Uruzgan.

But returnees, many of whom have lost their possessions and livelihoods in
Pakistan, say they need more assistance.

Yaser Khan recently returned to his native Kandahar Province in southern
Afghanistan after living in the southern Pakistani port of Karachi for more than
four decades. Now, he is struggling to put a roof over his family's head. "I am
looking for a house but can't find anything I can afford," he told Radio Azadi.

Aid agencies have warned that the influx of hundreds of thousands of Afghan
refugees from Pakistan will aggravate the devastating humanitarian crisis in
Afghanistan, already the world's largest. They have called for more
international funding to address the needs of the returnees.

The UN estimates that over 29 million Afghans -- out of a population of around
40 million -- need humanitarian assistance.

"The situation is now completely catastrophic in Afghanistan in relation to the
[returnees] from Pakistan," Rebecca Roby, advocacy manager at the Norwegian
Refugee Council, told Radio Azadi.

"The immediate needs are for temporary shelter, whether that's at the border in
camps or supporting people traveling to other provincial capitals," she added.

WRITTEN BY ABUBAKAR SIDDIQUE BASED ON REPORTING BY JAWID HASANZADA AND
SHARIFULLAH SHARAFAT OF RFE/RL'S RADIO AZADI

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November 07, 2023
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U.S. WATCHDOG CONCERNED OVER PAKISTAN’S EXPULSION OF AFGHAN REFUGEES


Afghan refugees settle in a camp near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border amid the
expulsion of a huge number of migrants from Pakistan.


A U.S. government watchdog that monitors religious freedom around the globe has
expressed concern over the treatment and forced expulsions of Afghan refugees
and asylum seekers from Pakistan.

In a November 6 statement, the United States Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said it is troubled by reports of increased
detentions, violence, and intimidation used against Afghan refugee communities
in Pakistan.

More than 300,000 Afghans have already returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan
after Islamabad announced the repatriation of over 1.7 million undocumented
Afghan migrants on October 3.

Since the November 1 deadline for voluntary returns expired, Islamabad has begun
forcefully deporting Afghans.

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Though the call was for undocumented migrants to leave, across Pakistan, many
Afghans with valid visas and documents issued by Islamabad to legally remain in
the country have complained of being arbitrarily detained, pressured for bribes,
or harassed to leave the country.

“We are particularly concerned that the Pakistani government may forcibly return
to Afghanistan religious minorities who fled persecution,” said David Curry, a
USCIRF Commissioner.

“Under Taliban rule, Christians, Shi’a Muslims, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and Sikhs
cannot freely practice their religious beliefs in Afghanistan,” he added.

Since the Taliban returned to power two years ago, its hard-line government has
imposed Islamic Shari’a law.

Rights watchdogs and members of religious minority communities have accused the
Taliban of discrimination and persecution.

Taliban militants have killed, tortured and persecuted members of the tiny
Salafi sect by accusing them of supporting the Islamic State-Khorasan, a rival
jihadist group.

SEE ALSO:

TALIBAN WAGES DEADLY CRACKDOWN ON AFGHAN SALAFISTS AS WAR WITH IS-K INTENSIFIES

Meanwhile, members of Afghanistan’s predominantly Shi’ite Hazara ethnic group
have accused the Taliban of ‘systematic discrimination’ by denying them the
freedom to practice their faith freely.

Most members of Afghanistan’s tiny Sikh and Hindu minority had already fled the
country before the Taliban returned to power. Those who stayed have said they
are struggling with strict restrictions imposed on them.

SEE ALSO:

'FORCED TO DRESS LIKE A MUSLIM': TALIBAN IMPOSES RESTRICTIONS ON AFGHANISTAN'S
SIKH, HINDU MINORITIES

Afghanistan's last Jew, Zalon Simintov, fled the country soon after the Taliban
seized power in August 2021.

SEE ALSO:

LAST AFGHAN JEW LEAVES AMID MINORITY EXODUS IN FEAR OF TALIBAN



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Updated November 07, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi


ISLAMIC STATE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATTACK ON MINIBUS IN KABUL



The Islamic State (IS) extremist group on November 7 claimed responsibility for
the attack on a minibus in Kabul, the group said on Telegram. At least seven
people were killed and around 20 injured in the explosion in a mostly Shi'ite
neighborhood of Kabul. Khalid Zadran, spokesman for the Taliban's police
headquarters in Kabul, confirmed the casualties on X, formerly Twitter, saying
the explosion occurred in the Dasht-e Barchi neighborhood. In late October, the
group also claimed responsibility for a deadly explosion in a sports club in the
same neighborhood that also killed seven people. To read the original story by
RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.

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November 07, 2023
 * By RFE/RL


REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS CALLS ON PAKISTAN NOT TO EXPEL 200 AFGHAN JOURNALISTS


Afghan refugees in Pakistan walk towards the Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border
crossing on November 3 following Pakistan's decision to expel people illegally
staying in the country.


Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged Pakistan not to deport some 200
journalists who fled Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power in 2021
during the withdrawal of U.S-led coalition forces. Pakistan last month said it
would deport all undocumented or illegal Afghan refugees who didn't leave
voluntarily by November 1 -- a move criticized by Western governments and
international rights watchdogs. "Forcibly returning Afghan journalists who have
fled to Pakistan would be a flagrant violation of international law and
completely unacceptable," RSF said in a statement. "Deporting them back to
Afghanistan would clearly expose them to great danger."

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November 06, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi
 * Austin Malloy


'WE DON'T HAVE TOILETS': AFGHANS STRUGGLE AFTER CROSSING BORDER FROM PAKISTAN

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Afghans who have fled Pakistan to avoid arrest and deportation are living in
makeshift camps on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing. RFE/RL's
Radio Azadi visited a camp and spoke with Afghans compelled to flee amid the new
anti-migrant policy. Aid groups say they lack proper shelter, food, drinking
water, and toilets once they cross the border to their homeland.

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November 05, 2023
 * By dpa


ANOTHER 15,000 AFGHAN REFUGEES LEAVE PAKISTAN IN LAST 24 HOURS


Afghan nationals, who, according to police, were undocumented, spoke to the
members of the media from the window of a bus as they were detained in Karachi,
Pakistan, on November 2.


Pakistan repatriated around 15,000 Afghan refugees during the last 24 hours amid
the country's crackdown against illegal immigrants, Pakistani officials said on
November 5. According to government figures, around 4.4 million Afghan refugees
live in Pakistan, 1.7 million of them without valid documents. Pakistan
announced the mass deportations of undocumented or illegal Afghan refugees last
month, a move criticized by Western governments and global human rights groups.
The Interior Ministry said on November 4 that over 200,000 Afghan refugees have
been expelled from Pakistan so far amid the campaign.

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November 05, 2023
 * By AP


AFGHAN FARMERS HAVE LOST $1 BILLION SINCE TALIBAN BANNED POPPY CULTIVATION


An Afghan farmer harvests opium sap from a poppy field in the Fayzabad district
of Badakhshan Province in May.


Afghan farmers have lost income of more than $1 billion from opium sales after
the Taliban outlawed poppy cultivation, according to a report from the UN drugs
agency on November 5. Afghanistan was the world’s biggest opium producer when
the Taliban seized power in August 2021. They pledged to wipe out the country’s
drug cultivation industry and imposed a formal ban in April 2022, dealing a
heavy blow to hundreds of thousands of farmers and day laborers who relied on
proceeds from the crop to survive. Opium cultivation crashed by 95 percent after
the ban, the report said.

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November 03, 2023
 * By Abubakar Siddique


THE AZADI BRIEFING: AFGHANISTAN STRUGGLES TO COPE WITH INFLUX OF REFUGEES FROM
PAKISTAN


Afghan refugees in Pakistan walk towards the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in
Torkham on November 3.


Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues
in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's
what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.


THE KEY ISSUE

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities and international aid agencies are struggling
to cope with the influx of over 200,000 undocumented Afghan refugees forced to
leave neighboring Pakistan in recent weeks.

More Afghans are expected to return to their homeland after Islamabad ordered
some 1.7 million undocumented Afghan refugees and migrants to leave Pakistan or
face arrest and forced expulsion after November 1.

Aid agencies said up to 10,000 Afghans are crossing the border every day from
Pakistan. They have warned of chaotic and desperate scenes among returning
Afghans.

The Taliban said it has established temporary camps for the returnees near the
border, and promised to provide them with food, shelter, and medical assistance.

Why It's Important: There are widespread fears that the influx of Afghans from
Pakistan will dramatically worsen the devastating humanitarian crisis in
Afghanistan, the world’s largest.

The cash-strapped Taliban government, which is under international sanctions, is
unlikely to be able to absorb the returning refugees.

Aid groups in Afghanistan, meanwhile, have been forced to cut back their
operations in recent months due to funding shortages.

In a joint statement on November 2, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Danish
Refugee Council, and the International Rescue Committee urged international
donors “to mobilize additional humanitarian funding” to address the needs of the
returnees “and avoid a new crisis.”

The UN estimates that over 29 million Afghans -- out of a population of around
40 million -- already need humanitarian assistance.

The humanitarian situation has been worsened recently by a series of deadly
earthquakes in western Afghanistan and Iran’s ongoing mass deportation of
undocumented Afghans.

What's Next: Afghans returning from Pakistan, where some have lived for years or
even decades, face an uncertain future. Many have no place to go.

“I have four children. I lived in Pakistan for 15 years and my children were
born in Pakistan. Now, we only have the clothes on our backs. We have no money.
Our situation, like thousands of other families, is really bad,” Abdullah, an
Afghan returnee, told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi.

Some Afghan returnees, including journalists, activists, and members of the
former Afghan government and its armed forces, are at risk of Taliban
retribution.

“Vulnerable Afghans who have sought safety in the country [Pakistan] could be at
imminent risk if forced to return,” said Qaisar Khan Afridi, a spokesperson for
the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Pakistan.


WHAT TO KEEP AN EYE ON

The Taliban has arrested Fereydoun Fakuri, a writer and director, in the western
city of Herat, his relatives told Radio Azadi on November 3.

His relatives said Fakuri was arrested by armed Taliban fighters outside his
office on October 31. The Taliban has not revealed the charges against him.

Sources told Radio Azadi that Fakuri was arrested after criticizing the
Taliban’s restrictions on girls’ education on social media.

Why It's Important: The Taliban has waged a brutal crackdown against dissent,
targeting journalists, human rights defenders, women activists, and
intellectuals.

Fakuri, a well-known figure in the local theater and cinema scene in Herat,
appears to be the latest victim of the crackdown.

The Taliban on October 27 released education activist Matiullah Wesa after over
seven months in custody. Wesa had campaigned for the education of girls and
repeatedly called on the Taliban to reverse its restrictions on female
education.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or
tips that you have. You can always reach us at azadi.english@rferl.org.

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe
here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

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November 03, 2023
 * By Reuters


PUTIN ALLEGES SOME WESTERN WEAPONS FOR UKRAINE ARE ENDING UP IN TALIBAN HANDS


Russian President Vladimir Putin (file photo)


Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 3 that some Western weapons
supplied to Ukraine were finding their way to the Middle East through the
illegal arms market and being "sold to the Taliban and from there they go on to
wherever." He provided no evidence. Ukraine says it keeps tight control over
supplied weapons, but some Western security officials have raised concerns and
the United States has asked Ukraine to do more on the broader issue of
corruption. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said in
March there was "no substantial outflow of weapons from the Ukrainian conflict
zone."

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Updated November 04, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal
 * RFE/RL's Radio Azadi


COMPLAINTS OF ABUSE GROW AS PAKISTAN RAMPS UP AFGHAN EXPULSIONS


Afghan refugee families arrive on foot to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border
at Torkham on November 2.


Pakistan opened more border centers on November 3 to hasten the return of tens
of thousands of undocumented Afghans, two days after the deadline to leave or
face expulsion expired.

But as Pakistan accelerates the forced deportations, many Afghans with valid
visas and documents issued by Islamabad to legally remain in the country have
complained of being arbitrarily detained, pressured for bribes, or harassed to
leave the country.

Some of them were deported or were among the more than 200,000 Afghans who left
the country since October 3, when Islamabad announced that undocumented
foreigners would have to leave voluntarily by November 1 or face arrests and
forced deportations.

“When we show our cards to the police, they say these are not valid and we must
leave immediately,” said Shah Wali, an Afghan refugee in the southern Pakistani
seaport city of Karachi.

Wali holds a Proof of Registration (PoR) card, which makes his stay in Pakistan
legal.




But the young man said he had not worked for months because of police harassment
and has paid more than $30 in bribes to the police twice to avoid detention.

Zabiullah, another young Afghan man in Karachi, said he has paid some $300 to
police in bribes after they detained him three times.

“I have the PoR card, but they didn’t pay any attention to it and were only
interested in robbing and harassing us,” he told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal.

According to the United Nations, some 1.4 million Afghan refugees have PoR
cards. Over 880,000 more have valid visas.

Pakistan's interior minister, Sarfaraz Bugti, said on October 3 that some 1.73
million Afghans in Pakistan had no legal documents to stay.

On October 31, Pakistani caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar said
Afghans with valid documents to remain in Pakistan will not be expelled.

“We are not expelling one person among those Afghans,” he told journalists.

Photo Gallery:

BORDER CROSSING FLOODED WITH AFGHANS AMID PAKISTAN'S DEPORTATION CRACKDOWN


 * RFE/RL
 * Reuters
 * AP

Thousands of Afghan refugees swamped the Chaman crossing along the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border on November 2, a day after Islamabad's deadline
expired for undocumented foreigners to leave Pakistan or face expulsion.
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But Taliban Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund accused Islamabad of
extensive abuses.

“Why are you demolishing their properties, ruining their business, snatching
their money, motorcycles and cars?” he asked in a televised speech on November
3. "It is 100 percent against all principles. Come and talk face to face."

Meanwhile, more reports of the abuse of Afghans in Pakistan are emerging.

A video obtained by Radio Azadi on November 2 shows about a dozen Afghan men
detained at a police station in Islamabad. Some of them showed their documents
to prove that they were in the country legally. But they were still rounded up
and imprisoned.

Abdul Majeed, a relative of two detained Afghan boys, spoke while holding the
identity cards of their father outside a police station in the southwestern
Pakistani city of Quetta.

“The policemen are acting arbitrarily. It is their will that whoever comes in
their sight will be caught.," he said.

Some Pakistani politicians, activists, and human rights campaigners accuse
Islamabad of abusing the Afghans to coerce them to leave.

On November 3, a citywide shutdown was observed in Quetta.

Predominantly secular Pashtun political groups -- the Awami National Party, the
National Democratic Movement, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement, and the Pashtunkhwa
Milli Awami Party -- called for the strike to protest the forced expulsions of
Afghans.

WITH REPORTING BY REUTERS AND THE AFP AND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ABUBAKAR SIDDIQUE

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November 02, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal


PAKISTAN ROUNDS UP UNDOCUMENTED AFGHANS FOR DEPORTATION

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As Pakistan continues its campaign to drive over 1 million Afghans from the
country, RFE/RL correspondent Niaz Ali Khan spoke to some Afghans traveling
towards the Torkham border crossing and others who have been detained by
Pakistani police to be deported.

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November 02, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal
 * Will Tizard


AFGHANS PAYING A 'HUGE SUM OF MONEY' TO LEAVE PAKISTAN AMID CRACKDOWN

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AFGHANS PAYING A 'HUGE SUM OF MONEY' TO LEAVE PAKISTAN AMID CRACKDOWN

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Afghan refugees continued to flood to the Pakistani border city of Torkham on
November 2, where tens of thousands are crossing into Afghanistan. An estimated
1.7 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan face arrest and forced deportation
after a deadline to leave the country passed. RFE/RL's Wasim Sajjad says many
Afghans have been forced to pay truck drivers large amounts of cash to be taken
to the border in order to avoid detention.

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November 02, 2023
 * By RFE/RL
 * Reuters
 * AP


BORDER CROSSING FLOODED WITH AFGHANS AMID PAKISTAN'S DEPORTATION CRACKDOWN

Afghan citizens wait at a holding center set up at the Chaman border crossing
along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Pakistan's Balochistan Province on
November 2.

Thousands of Afghans are seeking to cross into Afghanistan following Islamabad's
announcement that all undocumented immigrants in Pakistan must leave the country
or face arrest.




Thousands of Afghan refugees swamped the Chaman crossing along the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border on November 2, a day after Islamabad's deadline
expired for undocumented foreigners to leave Pakistan or face expulsion.

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November 02, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal


THOUSANDS OF AFGHANS, FACING EXPULSION FROM PAKISTAN, CONTINUE TO CROSS BORDER


Afghan refugee families arrive on foot to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border
at Torkham on November 2.


Thousands of Afghans continue to flood back into the country from Pakistan as
they seek to avoid deportation following a deadline from Islamabad for
undocumented migrants to leave, a move the United Nations warned could lead to
"severe" human rights violations.

As of November 2, officials said more than 165,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan in
the month since the government ordered some 1.7 million migrants -- more than 1
million of whom are Afghan nationals who fled following the August 2021 seizure
of power in Kabul by Taliban militants -- to leave or face arrest and
deportation.

Photo Gallery:

BORDER CROSSING FLOODED WITH AFGHANS AMID PAKISTAN'S DEPORTATION CRACKDOWN


 * RFE/RL
 * Reuters
 * AP

Thousands of Afghan refugees swamped the Chaman crossing along the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border on November 2, a day after Islamabad's deadline
expired for undocumented foreigners to leave Pakistan or face expulsion.
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The majority have rushed to the border in recent days as the November 1 deadline
approached and police began to open dozens of centers to detain arrested Afghans
before expelling them. On the other side of the border, Taliban officials have
also opened temporary transit camps to assist those returning.

More than 100 people were detained in one police operation in the city of
Karachi on November 2, while police rounded up 425 Afghans in Quetta, the city
closest to the Chaman border crossing.

WATCH: Afghan refugees in Pakistan, many having traveled for days, crossed into
Afghanistan as a November 1 deadline to leave the country took effect. Islamabad
has vowed to deport an estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans living in
Pakistan if they don't leave voluntarily.

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THOUSANDS OF AFGHAN REFUGEES LEAVE PAKISTAN AS DEADLINE EXPIRES

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Islamabad has said the deportations are to protect its "welfare and security" in
Pakistan after a sharp rise in attacks, which the government blames on militants
operating from Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration has dismissed Pakistan’s accusations
against Afghan migrants and has asked all countries hosting Afghan refugees to
give them more time to prepare for repatriation.

The Afghan Embassy in Islamabad has said the move will further damage relations
between the neighboring countries.

Pakistan has brushed off calls to reconsider its decision from the UN, rights
groups, and Western governments, who have urged it to incorporate into its plan
a way to identify and protect Afghans facing the risk of persecution at home
from the ruling militants.

SEE ALSO:

'NOBODY DARES TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES': DIARY OF AN AFGHAN REFUGEE IN PAKISTAN

At the country's busiest border crossing at Torkham in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Province, officials worked into the early hours of November 1 to clear a line of
28,000 people that stretched for 7 kilometers, AFP reported.

Just over 129,000 have fled from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial Interior
Ministry said, while a total of 38,100 have crossed through Chaman in
Balochistan Province, border officials there told AFP.

Authorities on the Afghan side of the border have set up a center several
kilometers from a border crossing, as well as camps for families with nowhere to
go.

WATCH: In Karachi, Afghan men and boys on November 1 were put on buses and taken
to a temporary detention center.

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AFGHAN BOYS, MEN ROUNDED UP, FACE DEPORTATION FROM PAKISTAN

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Pakistan is home to more than 4 million Afghan migrants and refugees, about 1.7
million of them undocumented, Islamabad says, although many have lived in
Pakistan for their entire lives.

About 600,000 Afghans have crossed into neighboring Pakistan since the Taliban
seized power and imposed its harsh interpretation of Islamic law, joining a
large number there since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979.

Some Afghans who have been ordered to leave have never been to Afghanistan and
wonder how they can start a new life there.




Pakistan's move to remove undocumented foreigners is seen as part of an
anti-immigrant crackdown that has been criticized by human rights groups.

The Pakistan People's Party, National Democratic Movement, and other politicians
and human rights activists appealed for a stop to the forced deportation of
undocumented foreigners in the Supreme Court on November 1.

On October 31, the chair of the nongovernmental Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan, Hina Jilani, wrote to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) warning that
Islamabad's move to expel Afghans could "trigger a humanitarian crisis."

Human Rights Watch slammed Islamabad's deadline, saying it has resulted in
significant threats against and abuse of Afghans living in the country.

Since returning to power, the hard-line Islamist Taliban has banned women and
teenage girls from education in Afghanistan. It has also banned them from
employment in most sectors and discouraged them from leaving their homes.

WITH REPORTING BY AFP AND REUTERS

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November 02, 2023
 * By RFE/RL's Radio Azadi


'NOBODY DARES TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES': DIARY OF AN AFGHAN REFUGEE IN PAKISTAN


“I suffer from pain -- the pain of homelessness, the pain of being a refugee,
and the pain of helplessness,” writes Afghan journalist and writer Samina
Hafizi.


Pakistan issued an ultimatum to the estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans
living in the country: leave or face arrest and forcible expulsion after
November 1.

One of them is Samina Hafizi, an Afghan writer and former journalist who lives
with her mother and five siblings in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, hundreds of thousands of
Afghans have fled to Pakistan to escape a devastating economic and humanitarian
crisis and possible retribution by the militant group.

RFE/RL's Radio Azadi asked the 24-year-old Hafizi to keep a diary amid the mass
exodus of undocumented Afghan refugees and migrants from the South Asian nation.

October 22

It is 6 a.m. I slept poorly. I had nightmares and anxious thoughts.

Why did we become refugees? This question haunts me.

Nobody dares to leave their homes.

Who wants to postpone their dreams?

Now that we are refugees, why should we endure such bad days?

If we leave, where can we seek refuge?

I have not written anything for a year. I suffer from pain -- the pain of
homelessness, the pain of being a refugee, and the pain of helplessness.

Wherever I go, I hear that Afghans are being expelled from Pakistan -- drivers,
shopkeepers, and cooks.

WATCH: Afghan refugees in Pakistan, many having traveled for days, crossed into
Afghanistan as a November 1 deadline to leave the country took effect. Islamabad
has vowed to deport an estimated 1.7 million undocumented Afghans living in
Pakistan if they don't leave voluntarily.

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THOUSANDS OF AFGHAN REFUGEES LEAVE PAKISTAN AS DEADLINE EXPIRES

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Yesterday morning, the landlords of our apartment building came and checked
everyone’s documents. They gave a deadline to two families to get valid
residency papers or they would be evicted.

Members of these families once had good lives in Afghanistan. Some were
journalists, while others were soldiers. Their daughters attended schools and
universities. They now fret over what will happen to them.

While visiting the hospital yesterday, I felt that nothing was the same. Anxiety
and fear were written over the faces of every Afghan I met.

In Islamabad, police were looking for Afghans at security checkpoints across the
city. The Afghans they found were questioned and harassed.

While waiting for my turn to see the doctor at the hospital, an Afghan woman
with her toddler was breathing heavily. I brought her a glass of water. She
thanked me and asked whether I had valid documents.

She told me that she fled her oppressive husband in Afghanistan to seek a new
life in a third country with the help of the United Nations. But the fear of
being forced to return to her cruel husband and the Taliban’s harsh rule has
stressed her deeply.

Tens of thousands of Afghan families across Pakistan are seeking a miracle. We
don’t know where fate will take us.

October 25

My sister’s phone woke me up early in the morning.

When she finished talking, she told me that her Afghan friend was told by her
landlord to leave her apartment by the afternoon. My sister was trembling. She
said her friend and her family would stay with us until they found another
place.

Later in the day, I went to a nearby market to buy supplies for our guests. The
usually cheerful Afghan vegetable seller I go to was distressed. He told me that
if he was deported, he would lose the business that enabled him to earn a living
for the past 15 years.

Around 5 p.m., my sister’s friend and her family arrived. Their voices were
hoarse from crying so much. We all cried.

SEE ALSO:

PAKISTAN BEGINS ROUNDING UP UNDOCUMENTED AFGHANS FOR DEPORTATION


I felt like a caged bird unable to fly.

They were evicted because only one of the eight family members did not have a
Pakistani visa. Her visa application was rejected several times.

Cruelty and fear have forced Afghans in Islamabad to stop leaving their houses.

It is heartbreaking to see dozens of Afghan families announcing the sale of
their household items on Facebook daily.

October 28

I’m always worried. My mental health has gradually deteriorated during the past
two years.

In the morning today, Hajira, one of our Pakistani neighbors, visited us. We
talked about the customs and traditions in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Suddenly, Hajira blamed us helpless Afghans for some of the problems Pakistanis
face these days.

She said Afghan refugees are bringing polio to Pakistan because our children are
not vaccinated against the disease. And she said the price of everything has
increased because of Afghan refugees.


Afghan journalist and writer Samina Hafizi: "Returning to Taliban rule in
Afghanistan is not a choice. My two younger sisters still need to go to
university. But the Taliban closed that door for all Afghan women last year."

When we disputed her claims, she threatened to call the police.

Thankfully, the police didn’t show up. So far, we haven’t given anyone an excuse
to evict us. But I feel nervous.

My generation will tell their children the stories of how our homeland, dreams,
and hopes were snatched from us. We were defeated and destroyed just as we were
ready to prosper.

We were broken into pieces and scattered to all corners of the world.

All this has broken our hearts.

October 31

If someone cannot talk, write, or cry to lessen their sorrows, what else should
they do?

Die or break?

If someone asked me who are the most unfortunate people in the world, I would
say refugees.

If someone asked what the worst state of existence is, I would say being a
refugee.

I hate this word.

Recently, I asked fellow Afghans living in Pakistan to share their stories on
Facebook.

Zuhal, 27, wrote that they left Afghanistan last year because her brother and
sister worked as prosecutors for the fallen Afghan government. This prompted the
Taliban to harass them and repeatedly raid their house to look for the armored
car they had already returned to the government.

After constant harassment in Pakistan, most of her family members returned to
Afghanistan. But she and her sister remain in Pakistan.

A 22-year-old young man told me about his ordeal.

He was stopped by the police in Islamabad a few days ago. Even though he had all
the proper documents, he was detained for several hours, harassed, and
threatened.

The ordeal was over when he paid a 10,000 rupee ($35) bribe to the police.

Hundreds of refugees like him are forced to pay bribes daily.

November 2

We are in a bind.

I’m overwhelmed by the news of Afghans being arrested or forcibly deported.

I'm overwhelmed by the videos and photos showing their desperation,
dispossession, and anguish.

Those who remain are trying to stay invisible. Everyone wants to avoid the
humiliation of being forced back to a country many have not seen or, like us,
fled because of the Taliban's draconian governance.

Photo Gallery:

AFGHANS SCRAMBLE TO RETURN HOME AHEAD OF PAKISTAN'S DEPORTATION DEADLINE


 * RFE/RL
 * AP

A flood of Afghan refugees flocked to the Torkham and Chaman checkpoints on the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border on October 31 ahead of a November 1 deportation
deadline by Pakistani authorities.
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We are in limbo. We have no real choices.

Our efforts to be relocated to a third country through the UN have gone nowhere.

Returning to Taliban rule in Afghanistan is not a choice. My two younger sisters
still need to go to university. But the Taliban closed that door for all Afghan
women last year.

As a female-only household, we left Afghanistan because we feared that we would
be forced to marry Taliban fighters. We witnessed such cases in Kabul.

We had sold everything before coming to Pakistan. We sold all our household
items. Now, if we are forced to go back to Afghanistan, we will be forced to
begin from zero again.

For now, we will stay in Pakistan until we are arrested or deported.

Uncertainty defines our lives. It describes the lives of all Afghans in our
situation.

DIARY ENTRIES HAVE BEEN EDITED FOR CLARITY; TRANSLATED BY ABUBAKAR SIDDIQUE.

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November 02, 2023
 * By Mursalin Arsala
 * Naqiba Barekzai


'WHAT CHOICE DO WE HAVE?': AFGHANS RESORT TO OPIUM TO TREAT COMMON ILLNESSES
AMID HEALTH-CARE CRISIS


Afghan women addicted to drugs receive treatment at a center dedicated to
treating women and children in Kabul. (file photo)


For centuries, Afghans in impoverished rural areas have used opium to relieve
pain and induce sleep.

Now, a severe shortage of medication fueled by a health-care crisis has forced
Afghans to resort to opium to treat common illnesses.

Opium remains readily available across Afghanistan, one of the world's largest
producers of narcotics, despite the Taliban banning the cultivation, production,
and trafficking of all illicit drugs in April 2022.

The growing number of Afghans using opium as a remedy for colds, stomachaches,
and headaches could compound the drug epidemic in the country, health experts
warn.

Afghanistan is home to around 4 million drugs users, or some 10 percent of the
total population, according to the United Nations.


Afghan men wait to be released from a drug-rehabilitation center in Kabul. (file
photo)

"I'm not the only one who uses opium as medicine," Homayoon, a young man from
the northern province of Baghlan, told RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. "Many in our region
do the same."

Homayoon, who only gave his first name, says he smokes opium to treat the common
cold and flu. "We don't have any health-care facilities here in our village, so
what choice do we have?" he asked.

'Opium For Medicinal Purposes'

Afghanistan's heath-care system, propped up by foreign aid for nearly two
decades, has been in free fall since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
International donors immediately cut financial funding and imposed sanctions on
the new Taliban government.

Hundreds of health facilities have been shut down in the past two years, with no
funds to pay the salaries of doctors and nurses. Hospitals that are still open
suffer from severe shortages of medicine.

Some of the losses have been offset by the continued involvement of foreign aid
organizations. But many of them have been forced to limit their operations as
international funding recedes.

Afghan health professionals say they have seen a rise in the use of narcotics,
including opium, crystal meth, and cannabis, to treat common illnesses.


A farmer in Kandahar shows fresh raw opium he has collected from poppy buds.

Rahmatullah, a doctor based in Kabul who only gave his first name, says the lack
of health care facilities and medicine has forced people, especially in rural
areas, to turn to illicit drugs to treat illnesses like diarrhea, sore throats,
and insomnia.

"But the repeated use of opium for medicinal purposes leads to addiction," he
told Radio Azadi, revealing that many of his patients have become addicted to
the drug.

Abdul Basit Karim, a doctor in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, said the
shortage of "sufficiently staffed and equipped" medical facilities was the main
reason Afghans are turning to narcotics.

'Massive Funding Shortage'

International organizations operating in the country have been forced to cut
their assistance to Afghans in the fields of health care and food aid in recent
months, largely due to funding shortages.

The UN World Food Program in September cut emergency assistance to millions of
vulnerable Afghans because of a "massive funding shortage."

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross stopped funding 25
hospitals across Afghanistan on August 31, citing a lack of resources.

The UN estimates that more than 28 million Afghans, or over two-thirds of the
country's population of 40 million, need humanitarian assistance.

"The situation in Afghanistan is grave, and the lack of resources and funding to
support health workers and facilities is putting countless lives at risk," World
Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in August.

That includes drug rehabilitation facilities, many of which do not have enough
basic medicine, food, and clothes for patients. Many centers have closed or are
struggling to remain open since the Taliban takeover.

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AFGHAN REHAB CENTERS FAILING DRUG ADDICTS AFTER TALIBAN TAKEOVER

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The Taliban has taken an extremely hard line in tackling Afghanistan's massive
drug problem, rounding up addicts and locking them up for months as a form of
treatment. But critics have said the cold-turkey approach is cruel and
ineffective, and many addicts find themselves back on the streets soon after
their forced detox is over.

Safia, a woman living in Kabul, says she used opium to treat a chronic
toothache. But after several weeks of use, she became addicted.

"I took some opium with tea at night," she told Radio Azadi. "But my dependence
on the drug continued."

WRITTEN BY ABUBAKAR SIDDIQUE BASED ON REPORTING BY MURSALEEN ARSALA AND NAQIBA
BAREKZAI OF RFE/RL'S RADIO AZADI

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EDITOR'S PICKS

 * THE AZADI BRIEFING: TALIBAN, PAKISTAN IN WAR OF WORDS OVER MASS EXPULSION OF
   AFGHAN REFUGEES

 * THOUSANDS OF DESPERATE AFGHANS MAKE RISKY JOURNEYS INTO IRAN TO FIND WORK

 * AFGHAN RETURNEES DESCRIBE DIRE CONDITIONS IN THEIR HOMELAND

 * PODCAST: WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW ABOUT CHINA'S BELT AND ROAD AFTER 10 YEARS?

 * 'JUST SITTING IN THE DIRT': AFGHANS FORCED FROM PAKISTAN STRUGGLE TO FIND
   SHELTER


AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN TRENDING

1

'THERE IS NOTHING HERE': AFGHAN REFUGEES FORCED FROM PAKISTAN STRUGGLE TO FIND
SHELTER

2

ISLAMIC STATE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEADLY SUICIDE BOMBING AT MOSQUE IN
AFGHANISTAN

3

PAKISTAN BEGINS ROUNDING UP UNDOCUMENTED AFGHANS FOR DEPORTATION

4

'NOBODY DARES TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES': DIARY OF AN AFGHAN REFUGEE IN PAKISTAN

5

TALIBAN POLICE SAY SEVEN KILLED IN SUICIDE BOMBING OF MOSQUE IN AFGHANISTAN'S
BAGHLAN PROVINCE

6

U.S. WATCHDOG ACCUSES AFGHAN TALIBAN OF BENEFITING FROM UN AID PROGRAMS

7

AFGHAN WOMEN DEMAND THE RELEASE OF ACTIVISTS FROM TALIBAN DETENTION

8

ISLAMIC STATE CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEADLY KABUL BLAST

9

THOUSANDS OF AFGHANS, FACING EXPULSION FROM PAKISTAN, CONTINUE TO CROSS BORDER

10

AFGHAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS GROUP REVEALS ANOTHER MEMBER HAS SPENT A MONTH IN
DETENTION


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