PAKISTAN'S REFUGEE POLICY: AFGHAN REFUGEES AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT

Since the beginning of the Afghan conflict, Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees, making it one of the biggest refugee-receiving countries today. Because they have been there for so long, their impact on the country’s socio-economic fabric is very strong. After significant wars in Afghanistan, the arrival of many Afghan refugees has added pressure to Pakistan’s public services, employment, housing, and health care. Trade and labor from some refugees have helped the economy, but those living in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces have strained available resources. Pakistan mainly cares about humanitarian issues in handling refugees, even if its laws do not provide a complete framework for their protection. In this document, we discuss the changes in Pakistan’s refugee policies, look at the impact on society and the economy, and showcase the opportunities and problems caused by Afghan refugees being present for a long time. It further highlights that both the safety of a nation and the rights of refugees can be protected through cooperative international diplomacy.