Human side of “Refugee Repatriation”: The Story of Margalla Town Resident Sher Agha, an “illegal” Afghan Refugee who has lived in Pakistan for 43 years
Everyone in the town is talking about repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan as government has threatened to expel illegal immigrants from the soil by November 01. Recently, Caretaker Federal Interior Minister has, without offering any shred of evidence, claimed that 14 of 24 suicide bombings in the Pakistan this year were carried out by Afghans.
This morning TLTP interviewed Sher Agha who is one of the “illegal” immigrants living in Pakistan since long. His home in Margalla Town, Islamabad was recently demolished.
Sher Agha had been living a reasonably comfortable life in Pakistan for 43 years now. Pakistan gave him the opportunity to earn a livelihood, build a home and raise a large family including 8 healthy children. At one stage, he was also issued an identification document called Proof of Registration Card by the Government of Pakistan which recognized his refugee status and also provided certain legal protection. However, since many years, his PoR, just like that of all other Afghans in Pakistan has expired, rendering them liable to deportation.
However, his otherwise perfect life has taken a turn for the worse in the light of recent turn of politics.
