For many Afghans like Wali, a 23-year-old former army cadet, Pakistan was their only realistic hope for sanctuary. Pakistan is home to more than 3 million Afghan refugees, according to official estimates, though UNHCR says nearly half of those are second- or third-generation Afghans born in Pakistan but still classed as refugees. New arrivals said there was no government programme to support new refugees with registration, food, shelter and other basic necessities. But the migrants tend to take on jobs that Pakistanis “frown upon”, said Ashfaq Yusufzai, a journalist at Dawn who has been reporting on Afghan refugees for more than two decades. Despite earning less than half in Pakistan and being away from his family, Afghan said he felt at home.

Source: Pakistan Today April 20, 2022 19:40 UTC