PESHAWAR – Hundreds of Afghan refugees remain stranded in the Azakhel repatriation camp near Peshawar. Nearly 400 trucks loaded with belongings have stood in line for the past week. Families, including women, children, and elderly people, spend day and night on the roadside without any basic facilities.
Refugees left their homes and businesses in Pakistan to return to Afghanistan. Instead, they wait helplessly in Azakhel. Staff shortages in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camp and the rapid rise in returnees have created massive delays.
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Women, children, and elderly people seek shelter under large trailers to escape the scorching sun. They cook and sleep under the trucks, with no access to clean drinking water or shade. Sick and elderly people remain trapped in these dire conditions, with no medical support available.
Charsadda Road outside Azakhel shows a grim scene. A long line of trucks blocks the road, each packed with furniture, household goods, and supplies. Refugees spend days in the open, waiting for their turn to complete repatriation paperwork.
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Conditions in Afghanistan add to their suffering. The country faces severe economic collapse, climate disasters, and widespread human rights crises. According to aid agencies, more than 22.9 million people need humanitarian assistance across Afghanistan.
Taliban restrictions on women and girls make the return even harder. Women cannot step out without a male guardian, not even for medical purposes. Girls above the age of 12 cannot attend school. Women cannot work freely, pursue careers, or take part in social activities.
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Many of the families stuck in Azakhel rely on women as breadwinners. Once inside Afghanistan, these women will face a society that denies them the right to education, employment, and independence. Their chances of survival and economic contribution shrink under these restrictions.
Refugees plead for urgent help from authorities. They warn that without immediate action, families will continue to suffer in unbearable heat and unsafe conditions. Yet officials move slowly, while Afghan refugees in Azakhel camp remain stranded in despair, caught between uncertainty in Pakistan and a grim future in Afghanistan.
