ISLAMABAD : Dozens of Afghan refugee families, including women, children and the elderly, gathered in a public park in Islamabad on Saturday after being allegedly evicted from their homes under Pakistan’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.
With no aid from authorities or NGOs, they endured police raids, food shortages and the constant fear of deportation to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
“We have nowhere to go,” said Fahima Khatoon, 45, whose children were born in Pakistan. “My daughter is in university, if sent back, she’ll face Taliban brutality.”
Families cooked with their own meagre resources, often eating just once a day, while police raids forced them into hiding.
“This is our bed, the sky is our roof,” said 38-year-old Professor Ahmed Zia, pointing to the rain-soaked ground where an 18-day-old baby slept.
