The word Refugee is an international term which has a particular definition. What ever you have studied in various research papers, journals & encyclopedias about the refugees or the definition you have of refugee in your mind at present is quite different & not applicable on the Afghan refugees. All the social scientists & political scholars & even the UNHCR agreed on one standpoint that a refugee seeks refuge somewhere out of the country when he/she is internally forced to abandon his/her own country. The common word of ‘Internally Forced’ compelled or constrained can be in the forms of Fear of Persecution, Natural calamity, Civil War, or Famine etc. In this connection, the indigenous Afghans were ‘Externally Forced’ to come out of Afghanistan in order to utilize them for their ulterior motives during the cold war and sabotage the Afghan Saur Revolution of April 27, 1978. The external forces were allied powers, Arab countries, Pakistan , Iran and China .
The pro-Afghan people in Pakistan particularly Pashtoon nationalists are of different view and have reservations about and Afghan refugees. They do not consider Afghan as a refugee on the Afghan territory. If an Afghani arrives to Quetta or Peshawar , they welcome him or her as their own brother or sister. If an Afghani gets settled in Karachi or Lahore then he is considered a refugee. Here the twofold notion of Pakistani religious people about Muslim refugees & Afghan refugees are deplorable. What a pity! The religious parties were standing first yesterday while inflaming the so called Muslim brothers for Jihad (excluding their own family members), but today, they are totally docile to the process of compensation, rights & giving citizenship to Afghan refugees.
Refugees every where in this shrinking glob have their own due rights with the compensations of their losses. Their rights of citizenship and compensations are guaranteed through the international law. It is irony of fate that Afghan refugees’ rights and compensations are badly violated. The externally forced Afghan refugees were again forced to fight against their brothers and sisters in Afghanistan . The CIA and ISI with collaboration of Arab & china gave guerrilla war training to the innocent Afghans and were exploited in the guerrilla warfare. They were brought into play as shield against Afghan government & USSR . The innocent Afghans came as refugee but they were sent back in the shape of bomb and weapon. Their right of return back with dignity which is given by Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UNO General Assembly in 1948was violated. It is as clear as crystal that who and how they were brought by felonious people from various countries and made the Afghanistan as a battle ground. For which all America and her allies have to be blamed.
Afghan refugees became blessing in disguise for general Zia ul haq, religious leaders and Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. They secured their positions & found highly protocols in eyes of US and her allies. There was an unusual rain of dollar and riyal on their heads from dawn to dusk. International funds and donations were plundered with both hands by various Sacred Names. Various areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan were made Drug Industries by the people of high profiles. Those intelligent army officers and Mujahideen of different countries who were hand to mouth till yesterday are now billionaires today. The players of destruction and their family members are playing in dollars these days. But on the other hand, the innocent Afghans for whom international funds and donations were specified are compelled to sell the bodies.
If we turn the pages of history we will come to know that neither Pakistani army nor ISI were well-organized and equipped with sophisticated weapons. Both were equipped with the latest weapons, tactics and techniques. General Zia rejected the $325 million in Aid of jimmy carter and considered it as peanuts. In 1981, the Reagan Administration sent the first of 40 F-16 jet fighters to the Pakistanis. Ships fraught with the weapons of destruction were unloaded on Pakistani dock. Even the stinger missiles were given in hand of Mujahideen. Kalashnikov and heroine cultures were prevailed in both countries. To the best of my belief, Pakistan is the only country in Asia where the city police even possess Kalashnikovs. The true cause of the explosion of Ojhri camp - an ammunition depot in Rawalpindi near Islamabad - still remains as mystery.
Afghans were externally forced to come out of their own country. They were used as fuel by US, China , western and Arab countries aided proxy war against Soviet Union . After the withdrawal of soviet army then Afghanistan and Afghan refugees were thrown to wolves and jackals. There were no proper check and balance for many years on the Mujahideen and organization of al-Qaeda. The apathy and oblivion of allied powers are now threat for the entire global village. Unfortunately, the progressive Afghans (from Ghazi Amanullah Khan to Dr. Najibulla Shaheed) were replaced with crowned heads, fanatics and extremists. It is worth-mentioning that majority of the Afghan Khalqee revolutionary rulers were not getting salaries during their regime. Now, when the antagonism generated among old friends (Believers), the Muslim world especially the Arab sheikhs and religious leaders regret the fact i.e. anti Soviet war, where they were bought in play as mercenaries. Now, it is of no use to cry over the spilt milk because Alliance of believers against the Red block came to the verge of Drone attacks and anti monarchism in the Muslim world.
Whenever the national census or the general election approaches, MQM in Karachi and Baloch nationalists in Baluchistan give wrong colors to Afghan refugees in order to infuriate and inflame their own activists. Political tact & technique are brought in practice for diverting the attentions of their workers from their weak-points. The injected and mentally occupied disciples never raise questions about their weak-points. In this regard, it is child’s play for the leader to keep the workers in the dark.  As a consequence, they endeavor to kill two birds with one stone.
The external forces gave deadly weapons, heroine culture, religious extremism, sectarian violence, war and destruction to Afghan and Afghanistan . What Afghanis have given to Iran and Pakistan should also be brought under consideration. Let’s waste no time and elaborate the positive impacts of Afghan refugees on Iran and Pakistan . You can observe in that the agriculture field got flourished when Afghan human resources were utilized. The cheap but effective Afghan labor boasted up the economic system. Majority of the carpet industries are still being run by the Afghan refugees. The versatile skillful Afghan refugees bring improvements and innovations in the field of construction, arts, handicrafts, embroidery, tailoring and pottery etc.
Approximately, one million Afghan refugees are spending ignoble life in Iran; Hundreds of them are given capital punishment, they are not being given the basic creature comforts, and the under-privileged Afghan refugees are the victims of social discrimination, corporal torture, religious and sectarian violence. In this regard the objectionable oblivion of UN & International Human Rights commissions is getting out of tolerance. Here, both Exploiters and UNHCR ought to face the accountability.
A new research can be conducted to  clarify the positive impacts of Afghan refugees and how Afghan refugees were used as shield during the  Cold War and made them the major source of income? Why Govt and few political figures make money on the heads of  Refugees?
To wind up, I would like to say that The UN and NATO should step forward to speed-up the process of reparation and chalk out the ways and means to give a secure and sustainable life to all Pashtoon Afghans.

                                                    PAIND KHAN KHAROTI
                                                   CHAIRMAN
                                                        KHALQ RESEARCH & INFORMATION FORU
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