Abstract
Presently Pakistan is hosting 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees since 1979 (UNHCR, 2018). The influx of Afghan refugees into Pakistan has happened in four phases. The earliest and massive influx started in 1979 after the Soviet invasion till 1989, the year marked with the disintegration of USSR. The second wave of afghan migration into Pakistan took place during the era of civil war between Dr. Najibullah and Mujahideen in 1989- 92 while the third migrant influx happened during the civil war in Afghanistan between Taliban Government and the Northern Alliance from 1992 till 2000. The final wave of Afghan refugees came to Pakistan post 9/11 after United States of America attacked the Taliban led Afghanistan. The repatriation of afghan refugees started in 2002 when the Taliban led government was toppled by the US and followed by the establishment of Afghan government under Hamid Karzai. Between 2002 and 2012, some 5.7 million Afghans returned to their homes and whereas 4.6 million of them received financial assistance from UNHCR. (Marchand, Siegel, Kuschminder, Majidi, Vanore, & Buil, 2014, p. 287) leaving 1.5 million Afghans in Pakistan predominantly third generation Afghan refugees. This study is an attempt to know the potential challenges that the third generation Afghan refugees face in the wake of anticipated repatriation back to Afghanistan. Qualitative approach was adopted for the research in which in-depth interviews were conducted with third generation Afghan refugees as respondents who were randomly selected. The data was thematically analyzed while each theme denoting a potential challenge that the refugees are up against. The potential challenges include the element of uncertainty as far as the repatriation is concerned which is the outcome of the political nature of the issue and uncertain policy of the government of Pakistan. The other challenges include the identity crisis of the third generation Afghan refugees who are born in Pakistan, the political instability in Afghanistan, the unending war like situation in Afghanistan, lack of economic opportunities and the fact that the third generation is leaving their place of birth which makes the repatriation a kind of migration for them.
Arbab Samiullah, Mohammad Ayaz Mandokhail. (2019) Repatriation of third Generation Afghan Refugees: Major Concerns and Potential Challenges, Balochistan Review, Volume 2, Issue 2.
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