By Shahid Shah 

The international day designated to honor the refugees around the globe is the World Refugee Day. The refugee crisis amid the international conflicts brings many challenges for the countries who are supporting the refugee population. The foremost concern for these countries is human security. Pakistan is one among those countries that managed the biggest refugee population and is still putting efforts for the cause.

Having received waves of Afghan refugees over the past four decades, Pakistan today is managing one of the largest refugee populations in the world without requisite international support. Afghan refugees represent one of the world’s largest protracted refugee populations. Pakistan currently hosts about approximately 4 million Afghan Refugees including 1.4 million unregistered and 0.8 million with Afghan citizen cards.

Afghan refugees began arriving in 1979 amid Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Majority of Refugees (62.9%) moved to Pakistan and Iran during the 1970s and 1980s. More than 150 refugees’ camps were established along the Pak-Afg border. At its height, there were more than four million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. US President Reagan praised Pakistan saying it has been "admirable in its generosity" toward the nearly 3 Million Afghans who have fled their country, the largest refugee population in the world.

Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said “Hosting refugees is a responsibility that has not been equitably shared. We pay tribute to the generosity of Pakistan and Iran, hosting 1.4 million refugees for 40 years”.

The Afghan refugees were once the victim of human rights violations and were living a miserable life in their country during the 1980s crises. Pakistan warmly welcomed them and provided shelter, food, and other amenities to the millions of Afghan refugees. The refugees in Pakistan were treated with tremendous generosity both by the government and the local population. The Islamic tradition of asylum helped both Iran and Pakistan to receive and protect the world’s largest refugee group despite the incalculable national economic and social costs.

The massive influx of Afghan refugees put tremendous strain on Pakistan’s administration including the land, food, infrastructure and economy. Pakistan paid more than 50 % of the expenses incurred in the relief work and has spent billions of dollars on hosting Afghan refugees. The refugees not only introduced ethno-demographic imbalance within Pakistan but also resulted in security issues.

On 17 March 2003, UNHCR and governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan signed a Tripartite Agreement for resolving refugee problems and supporting their gradual organized return that is sustainable.

Addressing the International Conference in Islamabad on 18 February 2020) to mark 40 years of Afghan Refugees Presence in Pakistan, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world to show similar leadership as Pakistan has shown in standing with refugees. He called on the world to ‘step up’ and match Pakistan’s compassion for refugees. He said: “Pakistan today is the world’s second largest refugee-hosting country…. Pakistan has provided the world with a global public good supporting Afghan refugees and its time for the international community to assume its responsibilities, and to support Pakistan very meaningfully.”

The UNSG said that many of the initiatives taken by Pakistan like allowing refugees to open bank accounts, backed by innovative technology, are now recognized as a global model of good practice.

Pakistan is working with the international community, UNHCR and Afghan Government for safe and honorable repatriation of refugees. UNHCR representative Indrika Ratwatte appreciated Pakistan for the hospitality in hosting the world’s most protracted refugee population and commended the government’s current efforts at formulating a policy on the Afghan refugees, including its decision of documenting the non-refugee Afghan population.