Returnees from Pakistan Face Dire Educational and Economic Challenges for Daughters

Families returning from Pakistan are deeply concerned about the educational future of their daughters. Navid Khan, a refugee, has voiced his frustrations over his children’s inability to attend school due to policies prohibiting girls’ education.

Concerns of Migrant Families About Educational Futures

Families who have recently returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan are facing economic difficulties and educational restrictions that have left them worried about their daughters’ educational prospects. Navid Khan, one such refugee who just returned to Kabul, expressed his despair over the bleak future awaiting his children.

In an interview with the media, he explained that his daughters were attending school in Pakistan, but due to the prohibitive policies against female education, they are now unable to go to school. This situation has been dire since mid-August 2021, when education for girls above the sixth grade was suspended.

According to data from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), nearly 2.6 million Afghan girls have been deprived of education over the past five years. Despite the persistent calls from international organizations and Islamic nations for the reopening of schools, the Taliban authorities have not provided any response and continuously assert that all rights of women are being observed in accordance with Sharia law.

Economic Challenges for Returnees

Navid Khan also reported on his family’s economic struggles, revealing that his shop in Pakistan was auctioned off, and he had to return home with nothing. He estimated the value of his auctioned assets to be around 30 million Pakistani rupees (approximately $100,000), noting that this loss has severely impacted his family’s financial situation.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), approximately 439,000 Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan in the past three months alone, with at least 10% having been forcibly expelled. Collective expulsions have intensified since late 2022 and have affected even those holding legal residency documents.

While the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad has stated it is continuing discussions with Pakistani officials to address the situation of migrants, concerns about the educational and economic futures of returning families are mounting.