ADSP Expert Commentary #1: Afghan refugees in Pakistan – Protracted displacement or protracted settlement?
By Dr Ceri Oeppen from the Sussex Centre for Migration Research, University of Sussex, UK, and Professor Shahida Aman, Dr Ayub Jan and Professor Abdul Rauf, from the Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar
The last 40-plus years have demonstrated the limitations of the traditional ‘three durable solutions’ to displacement for Afghans in Pakistan.1 Whilst there have been instances of large-scale return (notably in 1992 and 2001/2), much of this has been temporary or circulatory; third country resettlement is negligible (9,000 people between 2003- 2022);2 so this leaves local integration.
For Afghans in Pakistan, integration is taking place in specific social, cultural, and economic ways, but not politically or legally. Whilst the Pakistan government has provided sanctuary and (varying levels of) support over the last four decades, they have not yet provided legal long-term settlement rights for Afghans, or options for naturalisation.
This expert commentary explores what protracted displacement in Pakistan means for Afghans, as well as the possibility of durable solutions in the short- and medium-term.
The commentary is based on ongoing work for the Protracted Displacement Economies project, an international research project that explores how displacement economies operate and if there are ways they can be supported to thrive, rather than merely survive. We start with a brief overview of how we have framed the Protracted Displacement Economies research, before sharing findings from the first phase of data collection for the project in Pakistan, which indicate some of the livelihood-related challenges faced by displacement-affected communities. We conclude with suggestions for operational and advocacy activities that could support Afghans in Pakistan.
The full expert commentary can be found here.
This commentary is part of the ADSP Expert Commentary Series that – in partnership with Samuel Hall and leading experts and academic institutions – seeks to analyse under-explored elements of protracted displacement on the Afghanistan displacement axis.