Pakistan is the name of a country associated with the bad guys in the world today thanks to the develped countries media resultantly their citizens. They tend to recognize the country through extremism, religious fundamentalism, militancy and nuclear armed fanatics, labels, put on Pakistan by the so called "independent media" of the free world. Very few people around the globe however, are conversant with the fact that Pakistan is a country now in it's fourth decade hosting the world's largest refugee population amounting to around "3 million Afghan Refugees". Half of these refugees are registered with the Pakistani government as legal refugees while the other half remains as illegal migrants at Pakistan. The UN termed the Pakistani Nation as the most hospitable country in the world for the refugees few years ago. But the irony here is the shame that those educated enough at Afghanistan today, mostly fantasizers of the western way of life and their proteg'es don't realize this very fact while in their feverish Pakistan bashing about which they go on and on in their media and elsewhere. The price of hosting this largest migrant refugee population in the world is devastating while it plays havoc with the Pakistani economy, sociology, law and order and the it's very demography. There have been a number of atempts by the UN to resettle the refugees back at Afghanistan, however in essence all such efforts have failed as even the repartriated refugees fleed back across the border. Most recently the government of Pakistan has decided to call it quits and terminate the refugee status of the Afghan poulation by the end of this year.
The influx of Afghan refugees started in 1979 with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The trend continued uptill 1999 due to the civil war at Afghanistan and the brutal Taliban rule's attitude towards the "Hazara Population". The result of this mass human influx coupled with the "Afghan Jihad" saw the introduction and rise of the "Klashinkov Culture" at Pakistan. The illegal migrants and also some registered refugees started operating illegal supply racket of quality Russian Arms like the Klashinkov assualt rifles or AK-47 to the Pakistani underground market. The drug trade also flourished primarily due to the aforementioned refugee network and the law and order situation detoriated like a fall from the precipice as a result. The American funded Global Jihad at Afghanistan to contain the Soviet threat saw the militrization of mass population and easiest access to advanced weaponary. The effects of this Global Jihad, refugees influx and that of foreign mercenaries called "Mujahedeens" than and reffered to as "Extremist Militants" now from around the Muslim world by the western world, on the Pakistani soceity left not only scars but wounds so deep, they are bleeding todate. What Pakistan gained was access to unlimited wealth, but that of very few families in the civil-military alliance of Zia regime supporting and channelling the US money and weapons to the Mujahedeens. Pakistan also winessed the rise of "Mullah power" funded by the US Dollars for Jihad and armed by their very weaponary with "Jalal ud Din Haqanni network" at the forefront, of whom the US/NATO are so critical of today. These Mullah with their newly found power thanks to the US finances through their corrupt partners ruling Pakistan turned their barrels towards the US/NATO and the Pakistani state itself. Here again the Afghan refugees became the most convenient partners in crime to this newly found "Mullahcrasy" of Pakistan. The services of the Afghan refugees were and still are always easily availible for hire at dirt cheap rates for mercenary role, as a suicidal bomber, for kidnapping purposes and for any role you want to buy a human being for.
In a country of 150 million people the influx of such cheap labour, brings about a competition hardly sustainable by the local population who are not used to living in shacks and without any utilities. The UN also directly supports these refugees by providing food and shelter free of cost, a facility not availible to the indigenous poor population. In small and medium businesses this competition also ousted many local businessmen who were not having the support of cheap/free labour. The most recent transit trade agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan is also haunting the local businesses and industry at Pakistan where the Afghan refugees network first import goods duty free at Afghanistan via Pakistan and smuggle the same back to Pakistan hence providing almost all modern amenities from Juicer machines to LED TVs and anything you can think of at rates 30 to 40% less than the local made/ legally imported brands.
The repartriation of these refugees is a very tough task cosidering all the above discussion besides the fact that most of these refugees are unwilling to return to their native country voluntary. While the impact of these refugees is at most negetive from the Pakistani perespective, the situation as whole presents a human tragedy associated with refugees and the children of war around the globe. Pakistan in the meantime after three decades of hospitality paid at the expense of the native population demands an end to the saga.
The aforediscussed situation also leads to the exploitation of the refugees which mostly goes unchecked due to their allien status. The abundant labour force in the shape of these refugees at one hand provides cheap labours to the construction industry at rates as low as 3/4 dollars for a day's labour but also becomes the reason for job loss of the local labourers who are not willing to be exploited as such.
The influx of Afghan refugees started in 1979 with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The trend continued uptill 1999 due to the civil war at Afghanistan and the brutal Taliban rule's attitude towards the "Hazara Population". The result of this mass human influx coupled with the "Afghan Jihad" saw the introduction and rise of the "Klashinkov Culture" at Pakistan. The illegal migrants and also some registered refugees started operating illegal supply racket of quality Russian Arms like the Klashinkov assualt rifles or AK-47 to the Pakistani underground market. The drug trade also flourished primarily due to the aforementioned refugee network and the law and order situation detoriated like a fall from the precipice as a result. The American funded Global Jihad at Afghanistan to contain the Soviet threat saw the militrization of mass population and easiest access to advanced weaponary. The effects of this Global Jihad, refugees influx and that of foreign mercenaries called "Mujahedeens" than and reffered to as "Extremist Militants" now from around the Muslim world by the western world, on the Pakistani soceity left not only scars but wounds so deep, they are bleeding todate. What Pakistan gained was access to unlimited wealth, but that of very few families in the civil-military alliance of Zia regime supporting and channelling the US money and weapons to the Mujahedeens. Pakistan also winessed the rise of "Mullah power" funded by the US Dollars for Jihad and armed by their very weaponary with "Jalal ud Din Haqanni network" at the forefront, of whom the US/NATO are so critical of today. These Mullah with their newly found power thanks to the US finances through their corrupt partners ruling Pakistan turned their barrels towards the US/NATO and the Pakistani state itself. Here again the Afghan refugees became the most convenient partners in crime to this newly found "Mullahcrasy" of Pakistan. The services of the Afghan refugees were and still are always easily availible for hire at dirt cheap rates for mercenary role, as a suicidal bomber, for kidnapping purposes and for any role you want to buy a human being for.
In a country of 150 million people the influx of such cheap labour, brings about a competition hardly sustainable by the local population who are not used to living in shacks and without any utilities. The UN also directly supports these refugees by providing food and shelter free of cost, a facility not availible to the indigenous poor population. In small and medium businesses this competition also ousted many local businessmen who were not having the support of cheap/free labour. The most recent transit trade agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan is also haunting the local businesses and industry at Pakistan where the Afghan refugees network first import goods duty free at Afghanistan via Pakistan and smuggle the same back to Pakistan hence providing almost all modern amenities from Juicer machines to LED TVs and anything you can think of at rates 30 to 40% less than the local made/ legally imported brands.
The repartriation of these refugees is a very tough task cosidering all the above discussion besides the fact that most of these refugees are unwilling to return to their native country voluntary. While the impact of these refugees is at most negetive from the Pakistani perespective, the situation as whole presents a human tragedy associated with refugees and the children of war around the globe. Pakistan in the meantime after three decades of hospitality paid at the expense of the native population demands an end to the saga.
The aforediscussed situation also leads to the exploitation of the refugees which mostly goes unchecked due to their allien status. The abundant labour force in the shape of these refugees at one hand provides cheap labours to the construction industry at rates as low as 3/4 dollars for a day's labour but also becomes the reason for job loss of the local labourers who are not willing to be exploited as such.
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