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qO FO’R PUBLICATIONWITHOUT WRITER’S CONSENT
CVR-12 INSTITUTE OF CURRENTWORLD AFFAIRS
Peshawar, PakistanJune 15, 1991
MAK I NG THE MOVERepatriation of Afghan Refugees
by Carol Rose
Ask an Afghan refugee whether she or he wants to returnhome, and
the answer you will get is "malumdar" or "that’sobvious." But more
than two years after the Soviet Unionwithdrew its troops from
Afghanistan, it is not at all obviousthat the refugees are going
anywhere soon.
"We are missing our country,everything about it. The heathere is
terrible and the watersupply to our camp has been cut,"said an
Uzbek farmer living in arefugee village near Peshawar."But how can
we go back when ourhomes are destroyed and ourfields are
mined?"
How, indeed. Efforts atreconstruction are hampered bycontinued
fighting between theKabul government and themujahideen, as well as
in-fighting among the variousmujahideen commanders. As aresult,
assistance organizationsthat rebuild roads, schools ormedical
clinics insideAfghanistan are fighting a losingbattle against the
war itself.Meanwhile, programs to maintainrefugee camps in Pakistan
facedrastic budget cuts.
This stagnating situationhas sparked a debate over whichshould
come first" reconstructionof Afghanistan or repatriation of Nowhere
to Eo" Afghan refugeethe refugees, children at a camp n
Pakistan.
Carol Rose is an ICWA fellow writing on the cultures of South
and CentralAsia, with particular focus on refugees.
Since 1925 the Institute of Current World Affairs (the
Crane-Rogers Foundation) has provided long-term fellowships
toenable outstanding young adults to live outside the United States
and write about international areas and issues. Endowedby the late
Charles R. Crane, the Institute is also supported by contributions
from like-minded individuals and foundations.
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The Japanese government has declared that its assistancefunds
will be frozen until there is evidence that the refugeesare going
home. In contrast, the United Nations, the UnitedStates and other
aid organizations are pouring millions ofdollars into projects to
rebuild Afghanistan, ostensibly toencourage at least some of the
Afghans to return.
As the aid pie shrinks, assistance organizations are forcedto
balance the demands of the refugees still living in camps
inPakistan against the need to begin rebuilding Afghanistan.
At the same time, growing resentment among Pakistanisagainst the
refugees has raised the specter of forced exodus.And what possibly
may be the most sensible solutionintegrating the refugees with
Pakistani society is an ideathat people here speak of only in
whispers.
Reconstruction versus Repatriation
In the heady days after the 1988 Geneva Accords and Soviettroop
withdrawal from Afghanistan, the world community pledgedmore than
$i billion to help the Afghans return home and rebuildtheir
country. The agency created to distribute this money wasthe United
Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarianand Economic
Assistance Programmes relating to Afghanistan(U OCA.)
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"The Japanese have avalid concern, says oneUnited Nations
official, whospoke on the condition ofanonymity. "We repair
roadsonly to have them bombed, webuild new health clinics andthey
are destroyed, we cleancarezes [undergroundirrigation canals] and
theyare not used. When the warfinally ends, Afghanistan isreally
going to need thatmoney, so it makes a certainamount of sense to
save itnow.
A different view isvoiced by Shamsuddin, formeragriculture
project managerwith Save the Children (USA)""The Afghans don’t want
tostay in Peshawar, but there islittle choice for them if theyhave
no shelter or electricityinside Afghanistan."
Save the Children’sPeshawar office is runningprojects in three
districtsinside Afghanistan, buildingschools and
distributingimproved wheat seed andfertilizer to local
farmers.Shamsuddin estimates that thousands of people have returned
toAfghanistan because of these development projects.
Women and children are hardest-hit bythe drop in foregn
assistance.
"If the money is frozen, activities inside Afghanistan willstop
and the people will come back to Pakistan," says Shamsuddin,who,
like most Afghans, has only one name. "If you freeze themoney, then
you are freezing the people inside refugee camps."
Perhaps the "reconstruction versus repatriation" debatemisses
the main point: that neither rebuilding nor return cantake place
until there is peace in Afghanistan. After all, theAfghans left
their homes, their possessions and their way of lifein order to
escape a war. It is unlikely that money alonewhether given to
projects inside Afghanistan or withheld fromrefugee camps will
convince them to return home as long as thewar continues.
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Weighing a mlnourished baby at aclinic run by Medicins Sans
Choosing Who to Help
As foreign assistancediminishes, aid organizations arebeing
forced to decide whether tocontinue programs in the refugeecamps or
instead divert theirresources into rebuildingAfghanistan. Many have
chosenthe latter course, shifting awayfrom "emergency relief"
thatsustains refugees in the campstoward "community
development"projects inside Afghanistan.
This shift has created asort of schizophrenia among
theinternational aid organizations,as they struggle to balance
theirtime and money between Pakistanrefugee camps and
Afghanvillages. Often, such projects
Frontiers. Diarrhea and malaria are are in conflict.the biggest
killers in the refugeecamps. "Afghan teachers in the
refugee camps get a monthlysalary of 1,200 rupees [Su.s.
50], but there are no salaries for teachers working
inAfghanistan," says Rob Fuderich, a basic education advisor forthe
United Nations. "Under these circumstances, how can weconvince
teachers to go back?
"Linking money to repatriation confuses the issues," headds.
"There are a lot of people in Afghanistan waiting forservices,
people who never left and never benefitted fromrefugees assistance-
I think we should put our money inside[Afghanistan] and let people
go home if they want to."
Ironically, assistance programs in the refugee camps mayactually
hinder repatriation efforts by raising expectationsamong many
refugees about the duty of government to providepublic services.
Many refugees now have access to education fortheir children,
medical care for the sick, and electricity intheir houses. In
contrast, there are few schools in ruralAfghanistan, a dearth of
medical clinics, and widespreaddestruction of village
infrastructure.
To what are the Afghans returning?
"Their home areas have sustained substantial destructionfrom the
war," says a report prepared by the UNHCR office in
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Peshawar. "They are simply not prepared to irrevocably cut
theties with the physical, economic, and political security of
theirPakistan camp until they are sure that conditions will permit
afull resumption,, of family life and subsistence in their
homeareas.
A report of refugee women in Baluchistan adds that" "Theyare
longing for their home country but their first condition forgoing
back is that there must be peace."
"The women have experienced what a society can offer
theirfamily, and especially their children, in terms of health
andeducational facilities. It is a strong wish from the women
thatthe same facilities shouldbe developed in Afghanistanas soon as
possible, saysthe report. "The women andtheir families had to
leavetheir homes and to startfrom the very beginning tobuild up
their materialstandard step by step [inPakistan]. The women
nowexpress their worries about[having to start] fromscratch
once,,ore, now inAfghanistan.
Despite the danger ofcreating false expectationamong refugees,
tel iefprograms continue to play acrucial role in sustainingthe
Afghans who still livein the camps. At healthclinics run by
Medicins SansFrontiers--Belgium inBaluchistan and by theAustrian
Relief Committee inSwabi, I have seen dozens of Load.nE a cement
latrne-cover onto awomen and children lining up truck at a refuEee
camp. Sanitation is afor medical assistance, key focus of many
foreiEn relief projectsMany of the children looked n the refuEee
camps.
"Repatriation Report 1990", submitted by RepatriationUnit,
UNHCR, sub-office, Peshawar.
"Changes in Female Attitudes and Social Well-BeingPreparing for
Repatriation" A Pilot Study of Two Afghan RefugeeVillages in
Balochistan," by UNHCR Sub-office, Quetta, and RaddaBarnen/Swedish
Save the Children. June 1990.
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malnourished, others had malaria and typhoid. If such
programsare closed down it will have a devastating impact on the
refugeecommunity. Women and children, who make up the bulk of
therefugees, would be particularly hard-hit if such assistance
iseliminated. They have the lowest income-earning potential
amongthe refugees, and many are unable to leave their homes because
ofstrict Islamic rules of purdah. Without foreign assistance,these
women could be shut off from all access to medical care andother
means of basic survival.
Encashment and Repatriation
Since July 1990, UNHCR has operated a pilot project toassist
refugees who want to repatriate voluntarily. It functionsas an
"encashment program" in which refugees can exchange theirration
books for 3,300 Pakistani rupees [$U.S. 135] and 300 kilos[660
pounds] of wheat. In return, they are "deregistered" and
become ineligible forfurther U.N. assistance.Nonetheless, they
are freeto remain in Pakistan.
Born and raised in Pakistan, she stillcalls Afghanistan her
home.
"There is norequirement that anyone goback to Afghanistan,
saysRobert Breen, repatriationofficer for UNHCR inPeshawar.
"Repatriation isstrictly voluntary. Thereis nothing to stop a
refugeefrom taking the money andgoing to the Punjab to buy acow. We
are not encouragingpeople to cash in theircards if it isn’t safe,
butmerely giving them anopportunity to go back ifthey want to."
"Is there a linkbetween encashment andreturn?" he asked. "I
thinkthere is a significant link,perhaps as high as 60-70percent.
But that is simplyan impressionistic view."
The encashment programhas been strongly opposed bymany of the
mujahideenpolitical leaders, who argue
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that it undermines the "jihad" or holy war to encouragereturn
while the communist leader, Najibullah, still rules inKabul. At
some encashment centers in Pakistan refugeesattempting to cash in
their ration cards have been harassed bymembers of the mujahideen
and, allegedly, the Pakistani secretservice.
"The [mujahideen political] parties don’t want the refugeesto
leave, because if they return it tends to legitimize Najib andgive
him a propaganda advantage," says Breen. "The mujahideenparties
came out unanimously opposed to the program."
Despite opposition, UNHCR estimates that some 17,503 rationbooks
representing nearly i00,000 individuals have beenturned in for cash
as of May 20, 1991.
A key problem with the encashment program is that it
allowspeople to exchange ration books that don’t belong to them. As
aresult, there has been a rise in the number of ration books
thathave been stolen or forged,and then sold for cash. Arefugee who
loses his or herration book has no recourseand, of course, no
morerations.
"We never used to hearabout ration books beingstolen, but now I
getreports of four to fivebooks stolen each week,"says Imrad Zid
Khan, thedistrict administrator forthe Commission for
AfghanRefugees in the city ofMardan, about an hour northof
Peshawar. "The UNdoesn’t care about sendingpeople back, only
aboutcollecting their rationbooks. Repatriation hasbecome nothing
more thanselling passbooks.
"These refugees don’treally require anyassistance if they want
toleave [for Afghanistan],"says Imrad. "Many arepressured by the
parties ortheir neighbors not to doso. And if they do leave, An
Afghan trader...
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they have no choice butto do so on the Q.T."
The encashmentprogram also does notbenefit the thousandsof
refugees who arrivedafter 1986, the yearthat the United
Nationsstopped registering newrefugees. As a result,many camps
havethousands ofunregistered refugees,who are not eligiblefor
United Nationsrations or theencashment program.
link the encashmentPakistan,s and Afghans mingle with one
another program and(and walk their goats) through the Gold Bazaar
repatriation. Openn Peshawar’s Old Cty. borders between
Pakistan andAfghanistan permit
unconstrained traffic between the two countries and
complicateattempts to monitor the repatriation flow. Moreover,
thousandsof refugees return to Afghanistan seasonally. They work
theirland in Afghanistan during the summer months, then return
toPakistan to find employment during the winter. Other refugeeshave
sent back some family members to rebuild and restore theland,
leaving behind part of their families mostly women andchildren in
the camps in Pakistan.
In short, rather than a flood of refugees pouring
intoAfghanistan, there has been something more akin to a tidal
flow,with refugees moving back and forth across the border
eachseason.
The Option of Forced Return
After 12 years of war, it seems the world has grown weary ofthe
Afghan refugees. Dozens of assistance organizations alreadyhave
pulled out of the region, and there are rumors that theUnited
Nations is going to stop all aid to the refugees by theend of 1992.
Already, UN rations of food and other relief itemshave been cut.
Previously, the refugees got wheat, sugar, rice,tea, cooking oil
and kerosene. In recent months, only wheat isdistributed, and
even,that was cut-off for three months in early1991.
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Many refugees perceive reductions in assistance as anattempt to
force them back to Afghanistan before the war is over."Anyone who
advocates freezing assistance is siding with theRussians, says
Shamsuddin.
Perhaps more significant than world opinion, is thePakistani
response. Many Pakistanis are tired of playing host tosome 3
million foreigners, Moreover, the recent suspension ofU.S. aid to
Pakistan ostensibly over the nuclear issuesuggests that Washington
is no longer willing to reward Pakistanfor assisting in a proxy-war
against Communism in Afghanistan.Pakistan’s political and financial
payoff for assisting therefugees thus has disappeared.
"The [Pakistani] people are fed up with the refugees," saysA.
Aziz Luni, home secretary for the province of Baluchistan."In the
beginning we were ashamed to throw them back, but now weare
absolutely fed up. Our city has turned dirty. They throwtheir
plastic everywhere. Their children shit everywhere."
Quetta, the capital cityof Baluchistan, has beentransformed by
the refugeeinflux. "This is a city builtfor 85,000, but now there
are500,000 people," says Luni. "Iremember when Quetta wasbeautiful
and clean. Now itis dirty and unmanageable, allbecause of the
refugees.
"They have brought intheir Kaashnikov culture and
I!narcotics, says Luni. Thesefundamentalist groups arerunning
everything along theno-man’s land between Pakistanand Afghanistan.
They haveautomatic weapons and remote-control bombs. I fear for
ourfuture. We are a long waydown the road towarddestruction. "
Some political parties inPakistan have called for theforced
removal of therefugees, but there are fewsigns that the
Pakistanigovernment will attempt itanytime soon. Instead,
thegovernment has taken a lead
Scraping by" An Afghan sells clothbelts for 1 rupee apiece (four
for apenny) in the Saddar Bazaar, Peshawar.
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Agl.n ’hil’ren ’bor and raised n ex/le
in brokering a political settlement to the Afghan war.
Nonetheless, a recent survey of Afghan women in two refugeecamps
in Baluchistan suggests that Pakistan will play a majorrole in
promoting repatriation" "More than 85 percent of thewomen expressed
that they are waiting for an order to return homefrom the
Government of Pakistan to go back to Afghanistan.Either they
expected the Government Pakistan to force them orto help them to
enable their return.
In contrast, the survey found that less than 30 percent ofthe
women said they expected an order from the mujahideen, andfewer
than i0 percent thought there would be an order to returnissued by
an independent government of Afghanistan.
"If the Pakistani Government doesn’t help us and doesn’tarrange
transportation we [will] never go back, one refugeewoman told the
survey team.
UNCHR and Radda Barnen/Swedish Save the Children, op. cir.
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Prospects for Integration
No one here wants to talk about integration. When you bringup
the topic, voices drop to a whisper and people say that suchthings
simply aren’t to be discussed. Needless to say, there areno
integration programs in place.
The reluctance to examine integration is grounded in thepolitics
and history of this region. International organizationsdon’t
promote integration because the Government of Pakistanwon’t a11ow
it. And the government resists the idea becausePakistan
historically has been threatened by political pressuresfor an
independent "Pushtunistan," a state that would
encompassPushtu-speaking tribes on both sides of the
Pakistan-Afghanborder. The government Pakistan is careful to avoid
any movethat could revive calls for an independent
"Pushtunistan."
Nevertheless, these historical links between Pakistan
andAfghanistan have promoted spontaneous integration between
therefugees and the local population. Afghans dominate the
truckingand transportation industry in Pakistan. They perform much
ofthe manual labor in the border area. Afghan traders andsmugglers
bring fruits or black-market goods into Pakistan, wherethey trade
them for cash and food-stuffs. Other Afghans havetheir own shops
and restaurants.
"They are leaving the camps when the aid disappears,settling
down in town and merging with our own culture, saysLuni, the home
secretary in Baluchistan. "They are opening shopshere in town, or
finding other ways to survive."
The process of informal integration is limited by the factthat
Afghans are prohibited from getting commercial and exportlicenses
for their businesses. Instead, they must rely onPakistanis to
conduct basic business transactions for them. Inaddition, most
Afghans attend separate schools, which usually areinferior to
Pakistani public schools.
This has led to a situation in which the Afghans exert astrong
presence in the local culture, but remain economically andsocially
marginalized within Pakistani society. This hasresulted in
underlying tension between the two populations. The
Pakistani. feel burdened by the refugees and the Afghans feel
,ata disadvantage in the Pakistan economy.
Unless and until there is peace in Afghanistan or a movetoward
formal integration the Afghans will remain locked in aterrible sort
of limbo: dependent on dwindling foreign aid,unable to return home
and unwelcome to stay.
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An Afghan truck painted with a picture of Saddam Hussein
rollstoward the Pakistan-Afghan border n Baluchistan.
Received in Hanover 08/06/91