Afghan refugees born in Pakistan request nationality

Two Afghan refugees, born in Pakistan and having established their families there, expressed deep concern over the possibility of being repatriated to Afghanistan. They fear that their families will face a life of uncertainty if forced to return.

In an interview shared on X, one of the refugees, Samiullah, revealed that his family hails from Paktia province in Afghanistan.

Samiullah, who lives in Dhoke Hassu, Rawalpindi, is married to a Pakistani woman.

“I hold an Afghan citizen card, while my wife has a Pakistani national ID card. I speak Pashto, but my wife and children do not,” Samiullah explained.

During the interview, his daughter, who attends school in Pakistan, sat beside him.

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Samiullah emphasised that neither he nor his family members have ever visited Afghanistan.

"We request the government of Pakistan to grant us Pakistani nationality," he said.

He also expressed concerns about the harassment his family faces from authorities and his fear of arrest, as he has been detained in the past.

Samiullah added that his parents are buried in Pakistan, and he wishes to continue living here with his family.

He showed a school certificate of his young daughter, worried that her education will be disrupted if they are forced to return to Afghanistan.

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"If my daughter goes to Afghanistan, what will her future be?" he said, pointing out that schools are currently closed in Afghanistan, leaving her future uncertain.

In a separate interview, another Afghan refugee, 28 years old, shared his own struggles.

Although he was born in Afghanistan, he moved to Pakistan as a child and has never been back.

"I’ve never seen Afghanistan, but now I am forced to go there," he said, urging the government to grant nationality to his child, who represents the third generation of his family living in Pakistan.

Leaving Pakistan would be a difficult decision for him, as he has spent his entire life here, surrounded by friends and loved ones.