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The American mission in Afghanistan is coming to a chaotic and tragic end. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated after the Taliban swiftly returned to power, toppling the government in Kabul on Aug. 15.
With the near completion of withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan and the prospects of a civil war looming again over the unfortunate land, yet another refugee crisis seems imminent.
If this happens, Pakistan will face the biggest brunt of it as before. Pakistan has emerged at the centre stage of hectic global activities to safely evacuate the Western diplomats and their local helpers in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s role in evacuation
Pakistan is all set to welcome nearly 4,000 ‘Afghans and foreigners’ after the country accepted requests made by the United States and NATO to provide assistance in evacuations from war-torn Afghanistan.
The country’s main Islamabad Airport has become hub of evacuation process, which had provided transit to more than 20,000 evacuees in 10 days after the fall of Kabul to Taliban, a gigantic effort praised in all the world capitals.
Sources at the Islamabad Airport said that between the period of August 16 and 26, more than 20,000 passengers flew into the city onboard 332 coalition aircraft and special international flights operated by other airlines.
They added that the passengers included at-risk Afghans also. From Islamabad the passengers were leaving for different countries. They also said that flights operation was still continuing, ahead of the US drawdown deadline of August 31 (tomorrow).
Now, when the evacuation process was winding down, a new effort is about to be launched – flying in the humanitarian supplies into the war-torn countries. First Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight carrying medical essentials from the World Health Organization (WHO) landed in Mazar-i-Sharif on Monday.
Extension of withdrawal from Afghanistan
Foreigners and Afghan nationals with travel documents have been allowed to leave Afghanistan after August 31. The Taliban have assured about 100 countries and they have issued a joint statement in this regard.
The 100 countries include the United States, Britain, France, Germany, NATO forces and the European Union, but Russia and China are not on the list. According to the US National Security Adviser, the Taliban have assured that if any American stays in Afghanistan, he will not be trapped there but will be allowed to leave after August 31.
Possible concerns for Pakistan
Pakistan has been carrying the burden of three millions Afghan refugees for the last four decades while this time the government of Pakistan is not ready to accept more. However, due to humanitarian and international agreements Islamabad is forced to receive the refugees.
Dr Moeed Yousaf, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, has reiterated that if Islamabad allows Afghan refugees to enter the country, terrorists affiliated with IS and TTP will easily enter Pakistan under the guise of refugees. Allowing foreign forces to stay in Pakistan could also strain relations with the Afghan Taliban, which could once again cause problems for Pakistan.
Meanwhile, some reports claim that refugees from Afghanistan will likely be drawn to Karachi. The port city already lacks a city plan to guide development and management trends. With more people — including Afghans — knocking at its door, an effective rehabilitation strategy is needed.
