Refugees fear return to Afghanistan as U.S retreats

(20 Jun 2021) LEAD IN: As U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan, members of a refugee family in Pakistan say they do not want to return home. Analysts expect the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan to increase with the American retreat. STORY-LINE: Aleema Khan, 31, is one of 1.4 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. She makes a meager income selling food in Karachi. "Only one person in our family has work and he cannot earn enough money to pay the rent of the house, electricity, and gas bills. We buy water every day, life is very difficult, " says Aleema. But despite these challenges, she and her brother Saifullah say they don't plan on returning to Afghanistan now that the U.S. forces are withdrawing. "We have witnessed several people who returned from Afghanistan informing us about the plight of people in the country because the war is still going on there," says Saifullah. Zia-Ur-Rehman, who is an expert in Afghan refugees, says a new wave of Afghan refugees will make their way to Pakistan following the American military retreat. "We are hearing the news that militants are again controlling some areas, so we are expecting a new exodus of Afghan refugees (headed) toward Pakistan," he says. As per UNHCR data, some 156,000 Afghan refugees have left Karachi back to Afghanistan with UNHCR assistance since 2002. More than 50,000 still live in Pakistan's largest city. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...