Afghans Who Held Prominent Roles Now Stranded in Pakistan, Awaiting Relocation

Islamabad:Thousands of Afghan citizens who once held respectable positions and lived comfortably in Afghanistan are now stranded in Pakistan, forced to live in limbo as they await resettlement to a third country.

Many arrived in Pakistan following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, hoping for eventual relocation to countries like the United States or other Western nations. However, due to shifting immigration and asylum policies globally, their hopes remain unfulfilled.

One such case is baby Daniyal, just one month old, who was born in Pakistan and has no sense of nationality or future. Wrapped in his mother’s lullabies under the open sky of an Islamabad park, Daniyal symbolizes a generation with uncertain identities and destinies.

His mother, 24-year-old Samia from Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan, fled to Pakistan in February 2022 after the fall of Kabul. Speaking to Geo News, she said:
“We were facing threats to our lives in Afghanistan. We fled to survive. There was no future for us or our children there — but now we are unwanted here too. We plead to be relocated to a third country.”

Around 300 Afghan families currently live in makeshift shelters in Islamabad’s Argentina Park, enduring harsh conditions with dwindling hope. Among them are individuals who once served in high-ranking positions under the previous Afghan government.

Pari Noori, a mother of two daughters, served in the Afghan police force for eight years, while Shehnaz Alizadeh worked in the same force for 14 years.
“Before the Taliban, life was good. I had a stable job and financial security,” said Noori. “Then everything collapsed.”

Shehnaz recounted, “We stayed two years in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, but they began to oppress and torture us. There was no future left for us.”

Now homeless and stateless, these Afghans are urging the international community to intervene and provide them with a path to safe resettlement.