The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has estimated that over 1.4 million Afghan refugees are registered in Pakistan.

Qaiser Khan Afridi, the spokesperson for the UNHCR, Pakistan, told Xinhua that since January 2021, about 250,000 Afghan refugees have come to Pakistan and settled in different areas.

“Pakistan itself is facing tough economic challenges; so, in this situation, we have appealed to international donors to support Afghans within their country so that their issues can be addressed at home,” he said.

The official said that plans were made to help the newly-arrived refugees, consisting of a large number of youngsters, to develop skills to be useful in Pakistan and their home country when they would finally return.

Meanwhile, a 38-year-old Afghan refugee, Madiha Absar, moved to Pakistan 18 years ago after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and has since been dreaming of peace in her homeland.

“After the exit of foreign forces, it is relatively peaceful in Afghanistan, but my dream is far from being fulfilled,” Ms Absar said.

Waseem Khan, a 23-year-old TikTok creator with over 100,000 followers, has no idea how Afghanistan looks.

He said his parents sneaked out of the country when he was less than two years old.

“I have a lot of fans and friends in Pakistan and in Afghanistan,” he said. “I have a large number of relatives, many of whom I never met or spoke to.”

At a green belt near the power circles of Pakistan’s capital, some Afghan refugees have staged a sit-in under open skies for days demanding that Western countries shoulder the responsibility to help their country overcome its economic crisis.

“We are in this situation because of the war, and those who are responsible for the war and unrest should come forward to help us,” Torebaz Khan, a refugee taking part in the sit-in with his kids for over two weeks, told Xinhua.

(Xinhua/NAN)