It has been over three decades since the Russian Invasion in Afghanistan and people starting flooding in to neighbouring Pakistan.They have to leave their homes and businesses behind and start a new journey of a refugee.

Afghan refugees has to face alot of hardships in getting settled in Pakistan.To start with a place to live and bread to feed their families.We were welcomed very warmly by our Pakistani hosts in the initial stages.But  things started getting tense as the time passed and the Russian,s somehow left Afghanistan so it was time for Afghan refugees to head to Afghanistan but the civil war erupted in between the local Afghans and as a result had to stay in Pakistan for even longer.

Most of the refugee settled in camp in Peshawar and surrounding areas because it is the closest route to Afghanistan.People started getting settled in Pakistan and kept themselves busy in establishing businesses and easing in to the Pakistani work force.Food and shelter were oftenly distributed by the Unhcr among the refugees living in camps and a large community started building in the camps of Peshawar.

A new generation of Afghans are born in Pakistan and most of them have never been to Afghanistan and by asking them about their possible return to Afghanistan,their answer are mostly no.They dont want to go to a country where war and insecurity has risen in the last couple of years.

By the time when Taliban regime collapsed and the US led invasion started in Afghanistan ,people already in Afghanistan starting coming to Pakistan and then things started getting worse when Pakistani authorities starting pointing out Afghan refugee without legal documents and a new law by the name of Foreign act implemented and they started deporting Afghan refugees.Situation started improving in Afghanistan in late 2005 and Afghan started leaving Pakistan by the help of UNHCR and most of the Afghan refugee were paid $100 usd per head to bear the travel and living costs in Afghanistan.

There are still refugee living in Pakistan and most of them have got the Pakistani national Identity cards so going back to Afghanistan is impossible at the moment.I wish we can continue as we started and live peacefully in Pakistan and we pray that the situation gets better so that we can go to our country Peacefully.