An incident at Landi Kotal shows the poor plight of stranded Afghans in Pakistan. On Friday about 100 Afghans were evicted from a mosque in an area close to the border because nobody is ready to provide shelter to these refugees, who allegedly have become burden on the Pakistani economy and a threat to the law and order. These Afghans resorted to vociferous sloganeering and angry wailing after they were refused shelter in the mosque. In the past, federal government had extended the legal residency deadline for registered Afghans multiple times. However in June 2016, the federal government extended the stay for registered Afghan refugees for six months — till the end of 2016 with no intent of further extension. After this announcement, the process of Afghan refugees’ repatriation from Pakistan has accelerated as more than 20,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan last year. Reportedly, 1.5 million Afghan refugees have legally been living in Pakistan while a similar number has illegal domicile in different parts of the country. The incidents of terrorism and alleged involvement of Afghan refugees in criminal activities are being cited as main reasons for the ongoing repatriation of the Afghans in Pakistan. Government asserts that unregulated cross-border movement of refugees provides an opportunity to terrorists to move freely between the two countries. Pakistan must desist from adopting rushed solutions for sending the displaced population back to Afghanistan. It must take stock of the consequences of this policy decision on Afghans that have families and businesses in Pakistan. Countless Afghans fled violence, persecution, ethnic cleansing and genocide as a result of regional proxy conflicts in Afghanistan throughout the 1990s. Afghan refugees live as an alien community despite being registered as displaced people who merely seek shelter in Pakistan, their neighbouring country. Many among them have been living here for many years, and are contributing to the economy of Pakistan positively. There have been generations of Afghans born and raised in Pakistan who know no other country, but are still treated as pariahs and never allowed to feel like a part of Pakistan. Due to not having citizenship, they cannot avail any form of formal services, such as healthcare or education, which require an official identification. Law enforcement agencies are frequently accused of caricaturing and mistreating Afghans as fundamentally criminal. Certainly, it is true that unregistered Afghans living in an increasingly hostile country will be prone to crimes; but they would be more susceptible to illicit activities if sent to a war-ravaged state. Afghans should return to their homes, as that would be any refugee’s biggest, rather, only dream, but before that happens those states that are responsible for the present plight of Afghans must make efforts for their peaceful settlement in Afghanistan. Afghan refugees deserve empathy, kindness, and dignified treatment, not derision, mistrust and charity. Afghan refugees must be given respect and security with full assurance of a safe return home. And those Afghans who have families in Pakistan, children enrolled in schools, have legitimate businesses, and consider Pakistan home must be allowed to continue with their lives. Most of them have known none other. *