RASC News Agency: Dozens of Afghanistani refugee families gathered in Islamabad to stage yet another protest, demanding that international institutions accelerate the processing of their asylum cases. The demonstrators issued a stark warning: forced repatriation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would place their lives in grave danger, while the absence of immediate support from the international community has already condemned them to conditions of destitution and indignity.
Organizers of the protest reminded the world that for the past four years they have repeatedly taken to the streets, urging European governments and the United Nations to respond to their pleas. Yet, according to the refugees, the asylum process remains painfully slow and bureaucratic. Many participants recounted the harassment they face in Pakistan, including arrests and forced deportations, after which they were compelled to live in hiding inside Afghanistan under constant threats from the Taliban.
The protesters emphasized their determination to continue demonstrations until their asylum demands are addressed. They described how the brutal heat of Islamabad, recurring monsoon rains, and the absence of shelter have created unbearable living conditions. Women and children, in particular, have been left traumatized suffering both physically and psychologically as they languish without protection, medical care, or stability.
Participants stressed that their appeals are rooted in fundamental human rights, entirely consistent with international law. Yet, following Pakistan’s sweeping crackdown on Afghanistani refugees, many families have been driven into public parks, surviving in makeshift camps. Several protesters claimed that Pakistani landlords, under pressure from police, have refused to rent houses to refugees, effectively criminalizing their very existence.
Underlying their plight is a grim reality: the Taliban’s suffocating rule has turned Afghanistan into a land where returning refugees face persecution, imprisonment, and even execution. Refugees argue that international hesitation in addressing their asylum cases effectively traps them between two perils Taliban repression in Afghanistan and systematic neglect in Pakistan. As one refugee put it during the protest: “For the world, we may just be statistics, but for us, return means certain death.”
