INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES, LAHORE

BS DEMOGRAPHY
2ND SEMESTER

PRESENTED TO:
Doctor Farhan Yousaf
Contact no: 03060429253
Presented by:
Abuhuraira
Hamza khan
Abubakar
Muneeb ur Rehman
Aamir Fidaa
TOPIC:
Afghan Refugees in Pakistan
OUTLINE:
What is Migration? Describe refugee.
History and Introduction of Afghan
Refugees.
Impacts of Afghan refugees on Pakistan:
Society:
 Socio economic DEMOGRAPHICS.
 Cultural
Crimes:
 Education
 Smuggling
Health:  Terrorism
 Communicable and non-communicable
Current circumstances.
diseases
 Malaria
 Polio.
Introduction and History of Afghan refugees

By:
Muneeb ur Rehman (muneebu995@gmail.com)
roll no: 26
contact no: 0317-6064633
 What is migration?
The movement of persons away from their place of usual residence, either across an international
border or within a State.

Refugees:
Refugees are people who have fled war, violence, conflict or persecution and have crossed an
international border to find safety in another country.
They have refugee status from UNHCR.

https://www.unhcr.org/what-is-a-refugee.html
Introduction and history of Afghan Refugees:

Afghans in Pakistan are citizens of Afghanistan who are temporarily residing

in Pakistan as refugees or asylum seekers. Most were born and raised in Pakistan during the
last four decades. They are under the care and protection of the 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The government of Pakistan began admitting Afghan refugees in 1979, before and after the
start of the Soviet–Afghan War. By the end of 2001, there were over four million in
Pakistan. Most have returned to Afghanistan since 2002 but 1,435,445 still remain in
Pakistan as of late 2020, distributed as follows: Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (58.1%); Balochistan (22.8%); Punjab (11.7%); Sindh (4.6%); Islamabad (2.4
%); Azad Kashmir (0.3%); and Gilgit-Baltistan (0.0%). Ethnically, they are primarily
Afghanistan's Pashtuns, followed by Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Baloch and Turkmen.
Pakistan adopted an 'open door policy' towards the Afghan refugees, and throughout the
1980s refugee influx continued. There were also repatriation phases when some normalcy
was believed to have returned to Afghanistan, as happened after the Soviet withdrawal. The
largest concentration of Afghan refugees in Pakistan remained in the provinces of NWFP
and Balochistan, mainly due to ethnic and linguistic links between the local population and
the Afghans. In these provinces, around 350 'refugee tented villages' (RTVs) were
established.6 Each RTV was provided with basic necessities of life, including food,
education, a dispensary and a mosque
Afghan refugees and Pakistan’s society

By:
AbuBakar zulfiqar(bakarsraa302@gmail.com)
Roll no : 21
Contac no: 03490331202
 Socio-economic impacts on Pakistan:
People in time of crisis move to other cities of their country or neighbouring countries. But there are
also family, religious and ethnic connections between people of Pakistan and Afghanistan(the
countries are neighbours to each other)…the huge reason behind influx of afghan refugees in
Pakistan after violation and war crisis in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has provided shelter to one of the world’s largest protracted refugee populations – about 6
million Afghan refugees have been living in Pakistan since 1979. Continued violence and political
and economic turmoil in Afghanistan have discouraged refugees to return and resulted in continued
influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan.
Pakistan is also a developing country. Pakistan is also facing severe political and economic
instability. In such a situation, afghan refugees in Pakistan are additional economic burden.
Since 2002, 3.8 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan. Currently, there are 3 million
registered and unregistered Afghan refugees, however, the number of unregistered refugees is
believed to be far greater since movement across the Pak-Afghan border has traditionally taken
place under an unregulated and unmonitored system, thus making it close to impossible to give an
accurate number of unregistered refugees.
They are free to move around the country and work illegally.
Significantly, in contrast to the usual policy of keeping refugees in rural areas to avoid urban crises, the
refugees in Pakistan flow mainly to the urban areas, which further fuels the economic crises through
contributing to an informal economy and thereby reducing economic growth.

Informal economy:
An informal economy is the part of
any economy that is neither taxed
nor monitored by any form of
government

They are distorting economic markets in such a way that they work at low wage.
 Culture:
Due to historical, ethnic and linguistic connections, Afghan immigrants in Pakistan find it
relatively easy to adapt to local customs and culture. Culture for Afghan Pashtuns is relatively
small in parts of north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the northern parts of
Balochistan. Similarly, Hazaras from Afghanistan can easily assimilate due to the presence of
Hazaras in Balochistan. However, this is not the case for the Tajiks from Afghanistan. Most
Afghan immigrants are fluent in Urdu, Pakistan's national language, as their second or third
language. Many call Pakistan their home because they were born there. They participate in
national festivities and other occasions, including Independence Day celebrations. Afghan
communities retain and preserve their cultural values, traditions and customs, despite years of
fighting and difficult socioeconomic conditions in Afghanistan.
 Education:
For the past forty years UNHCR has, and will continue to, fully fund the refugee education
programmes over 146 schools in the refugee villages (103 schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 35 in
Balochistan, 08 in Punjab) catering for the education needs of some 56,000 children. UNHCR
continues to assist students in obtaining a quality education through the provision of textbooks,
learning material and uniforms alongside scholarship support to those seeking higher education.
UNHCR also supports the salaries of 1,319 teachers, education advisors and support staff. In
long-standing partnership with the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Program
(DAFI), UNHCR has also supported Higher Education Scholarships, and in 2019, 419 students
benefitted from the scholarship program.
AFGHAN REFUGEES IMPACTS ON
PAKISTAN HEALTH :
By:
Ameer Hamza(Hamza.iscs@gmail.com)
roll no: 15
contact no: 0310-0095800
 Health:
When refugees transit from non-endemic region to an endemic region, they are more susceptible
to local diseases as compared to indigenous population, as they are not immune to native strains.
The communicable and non-communicable disease burden is double on Pakistan as it is presently
passing through an epidemiological transition. According to the Commissionerate Afghan
Refugees (CAR), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), most of the deaths amongst the Afghan
refugees occur due to cardiovascular problems.Risk of various health conditions, like
cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, is expected to be more among refugees due to starvation.
 CAUSES OF
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
MORTALITY

Respiratory
219 215 265 228 219
Diseases

Watery
15 16 44 49 6
Diarrhoea

Dysentery 73 2 13 8 9
Measles 1 1 7 3 2

Cardiovascular
380 386 403 391 336
Diseases

TB 4 2 1 3 0
Hepatitis 36 45 56 47 38
Typhoid 12 15 14 14 5

Others 831 1027 963 851 801

 MALARIA
Various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are malarial endemic regions. Migration of 3 million
afghan refugees to Pakistan was vulnerable because they settled in malaria endemic regions. A
total of 10710 malarial cases were reported from the year 2012 to 2018, with a total of 3 deaths
from malaria. P. Vivax was most prevalent in the reported cases. Surprisingly, only three malaria-
related deaths were reported in the 7 years span, although the number of positive cases was quite
high. This may be because of underreporting of deaths caused by malaria and the actual number
could be high.
 Polio virus
Pakistan and Afghanistan form a single epidemiological block with a regular cross-border
movement, which maintains the flow of the poliovirus in both directions of the border. The
movement of people crossing the border has largely been unchecked or uncontrolled. In 2015,
most reported cases of polio in Afghanistan were from Nangarhar province, which borders
Pakistan, and were genetically linked to cases in Pakistan. All cases of polio in these border areas
are reported in the mobile population, especially the returning displaced population. Among
Afghan refugees in Pakistan, only one case of polio was reported in June of 2016. The percentage
coverage of immunization in children among Afghan refugees was 100% from 2012 to 2018. It
was only possible due to the efforts of Pakistan Government immunization program.
DEMOGRAPHICS:
By:
Aamir Fidaa(aamirfidaa@gmail.com)
Roll no 23
Contact no: 0343-7001256
 Demographics
Most citizens of Afghanistan are found in the Pashtun-dominated areas of Pakistan, which
include Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Quetta-Chaman region of Balochistan. Smaller communities
exist in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Azad Kashmir.
Ethnically, eighty-five percent of Afghan citizens in Pakistan are Pashtuns and the remaining 15
percent are Uzbeks, Tajiks and others. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa hosts the largest population of Afghan
citizens with 58.1%, followed by Balochistan (22.8%), Punjab (11.7%), Sindh (4.6%), Islamabad
(2.4%), and Azad Kashmir (0.3%).
 Kpk:
According to latest UNHCR report, around 834,387 registered citizens of Afghanistan reside in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. During the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War, Peshawar was a center for Afghan
refugees. The Jalozai refugee camp alone had over 100,000 residents in 1988. Peshawar assimilated
many Afghans with relative ease, since the city shares historic and cultural ties with Afghanistan, and
the city became home to many Afghan musicians and artists.
 Sindh:
Sindh has a total of 66,111 registered citizens of Afghanistan. In 2009, their number was
approximately 50,000. A UNHCR spokesman said, "Sindh is home to some 50,000 Afghan refugees
and most of them are staying in Karachi". "The police can move only against unregistered Afghans,
whose number is very small in Karachi", said a senior Karachi police official. In Karachi, the non-
wealthy Afghans reside in Pashtun-dominated suburbs such as Sohrab Goth. The middle-class reside
in places such as Gulshan-e-Iqbal, and the wealthy in Bahria Town and Defence Housing Authority,
Karachi.
 Balochistan:
About 327,247 Afghan citizens reside in Balochistan. After Peshawar, Quetta has the second-highest
percentage of Afghan refugees (20 percent). Most Afghans in Quetta are engaged in business and
work in the city. Balochistan shares demographics with Afghanistan, and many refugees have
migrated to the province for ethnic links. A 2005 census of Afghans in Balochistan indicated that the
overwhelming majority were Pashtun, followed by Uzbeks, Tajiks, Baluchis, Hazaras and
Turkmen. Quetta has the largest concentration of Hazara people outside Afghanistan, based in areas
such as Hazara Town. Due to social unrest and Hazara persecution, the Afghan refugees are trying to
resettle in other countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Finland, Canada, etc.
The first wave of Afghan Hazaras arrived during the 1980s Soviet war, and more arrived fleeing
persecution by the Taliban regime in the 1990s. They forged closer links with their Pakistani Hazara
patrons, whose ancestors had arrived during Amir Abdur Rahman Khan's reign in the late 1800s
(when Quetta was part of Afghanistan); these Pakistani Hazaras have some influence in
the Balochistan government. Instead of living in settlement camps, many Hazaras have settled in
cities.
 Punjab:
The province of Punjab has roughly 168,351 citizens of Afghanistan. In June 2007, the National
Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) registered 16,439 Afghans in the eastern Pakistani
city of Lahore; their number was reported at about 7,000 in October 2004.
 Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan:
Azad Kashmir has 4,341 Afghans and Gilgit-Baltistan merely 5. During the 1980s, about 13,000
Afghans migrated to cities in Azad Kashmir. According to a 2011 article in The News International,
Afghans and other foreigners in Azad Kashmir were perceived as a security risk. In 2015, there were
11,000 unregistered Afghan refugees in Azad Kashmir who faced possible expulsion or deportation.
Afghan ethnic groups from the Wakhan Corridor have historically migrated to the Gilgit–
Baltistan region of northern Pakistan
Crimes in Pakistan and current circumstances
By:
AbuHuraira(abuhuraira26.ab@gmail.com)
Roll no: 18
Contact no: 0302-9554493
 Crimes
The influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan since the 1980s has contributed to increased sectarian
violence, drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime. According to the Pakistan Citizenship Act
1951, people who migrated to Pakistan before 18 April 1951 (and their descendants) are Pakistani
citizens. Although the act was directed at Muhajir settlers who arrived in Pakistan following
the partition of India in 1947, it generally included all migrant groups (including Afghans). Those who
immigrated after this date are required to apply for Pakistani citizenship and identity documents. It is
estimated that over 200,000 Afghans who arrived after 1951 have obtained Pakistani citizenship and
identity documents, such as Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs), without formal
applications. In 2015, Pakistani authorities pledged to invalidate the documents, making older Afghans
illegal immigrants. National Database and Registration Authority and passport officials, union councils
and political activists were found to have created fake identities and sell Pakistani national identity
cards to Afghan migrants.
Thousands of Afghans were reportedly in Pakistani jails in May 2011, most of whom were arrested for
offenses ranging from petty crimes to not having a proof of registration (PoR) card, Pakistani visa or Afghan
passport. In 2007, 337 Afghan nationals "were arrested for illegally travelling to Saudi Arabia to
perform Hajj on fake Pakistani passports. After serving prison sentences and paying fines, they were released
on "the condition they will not enter Pakistan illegally again." In 2012, 278 Afghan nationals were arrested
by intelligence agencies for possessing fake Pakistani CNICs. According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home
and Tribal Affairs Department, "A number of Afghan refugees (have) managed to obtain fake CNICs from
different National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) offices, especially
from Zhob, Loralai, Bhakkar, Muzafargarh, Thatta and Dera Ismail Khan". Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials
said that action would be taken against the Afghans and the Pakistanis who were involved in the fraud. 
 Smuggling:
Smuggling became a major business after the establishment of the Durand Line in 1893, which is
now controlled by a large organized-crime network on both sides of the border. Major items
smuggled from Afghanistan into Pakistan are opium, hashish, heroin, lumber precious stones,
copper, automobiles and electronics.
The drugs trade and opium production in Afghanistan have taken a toll on Pakistan. According to a
2001 report, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban government) have been unable to stop
the refining and export of heroin stockpiles through its borders. The immediate result has been the
extensive smuggling of drugs into Pakistan.
 Current circumstances
2021 figure.
1.4 million Afghan refugees (POR - proof of registration cardholders) will be verified and receive
new biometric documentation (smartcard IDs) from the Government of Pakistan
KARACHI -- Pakistan has deployed its army along its border with Afghanistan to block an anticipated
wave of refugees and militants from entering its territory, as fighting continues to rage between the
Afghan National Army and the Taliban.
Moeed Yusuf, the national security adviser to Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, reiterated his
government's stance during a recent visit to Washington that Afghans fleeing the Taliban offensive must
be accommodated within Afghanistan with the help of aid agencies. He said that Pakistan did not have
the capacity to shoulder the burden of more refugees.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had earlier stated that the country would not open its borders
to Afghan refugees. He said refugees would be restricted to camps along the border if the conflict
escalated.
ISLAMABAD, 25 May 2021 – Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)
issued today the first new biometric identity smartcards to Afghan refugees registered in the country.
The new Proof of Registration (PoR) cards are legally recognized proof of identity and include enhanced
security features.
This card issuance is part of the government-led and UNHCR-supported Documentation Renewal and
Information Verification Exercise .
This exercise is currently verifying the information of 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan
and will issue them with new PoR smartcards based on the same technology used for Pakistani citizen
identification cards
PESHAWAR, 20 May 2021: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s rehabilitation of five public schools in
Swabi district will help increase the enrolment of students by 70 per cent, thanks to the support of the
European Union. A number of schools are also being improved in other districts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
In Swabi district, the Government Higher Secondary School Ismaila, the Government Primary School
Ismaila, the Government High Secondary School Yaar Hussain, the Government Primary School Yaar
Hussain and the Government Primary School Hemlet were rehabilitated and improved.
Pakistan is in the final stages of fencing the 2,600 km border, according to government sources. This will
have a big impact on those living close to the borders, as cross-border trade and business is frequently
conducted without official documents.
Rahim Nasar, a journalist from Quetta -- a city 135 km east of the Afghan border -- explained: "Visiting
Chaman and Spin Boldak for political and business activities is common for people like us who live on
the borderlands of the [two] countries." Many visitors are able to travel without passports by bribing
immigration officers on both sides, he said. 
46 Afghan security personnel sought refuge in the northwestern Pakistani district of Chitral on July 15
after losing their military positions to the Taliban. According to the Pakistan Army's media relations
team, another 35 Afghan soldiers were given asylum on July 1 before being returned to the Afghan
authorities.
Pakistani authorities say the government cannot afford to host more Afghan citizens. The country
already faces twin deficits -- fiscal and current account. COVID-19 has dealt another challenge as
Pakistan struggles to revive its economy.
The fourth US president to oversee the war also defended the speed of the US withdrawal, saying it
saved lives.
Mr Biden's speech comes as the Taliban militant group continues to seize territory around the country.
US forces have fought in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years, following the terror attacks of 11 September
2001.
Earlier this year, Mr Biden set a 11 September 2021 goal of withdrawing all US troops.
Donald Trump had agreed with the Taliban to pull out US troops by May 2021, but that deadline was
pushed back by Mr Biden afte.r he took office in January