It has been widely reported by local and international media that more than 30,000 Afghans living in Pakistan have returned home since the start of the year after coming under intense scrutiny following a Taliban massacre at Army Public School in Peshawar. Even if these numbers are true, they constitute a very small percentage of the Afghans who are still living in Pakistan - officially or unofficially. These Afghans are in Pakistan since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the late 1970s.
Police raids on Afghan communities are said to be commonplace and they often encounter prejudice during their daily lives.
The Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani, however, claims that Afghan refugees have been living in neighbouring Pakistan for decades, and they were never involved in any terrorist attacks. The situation, therefore, suggests that there will be no significant reduction in the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan because of an unprecedented boost in Islamabad-Kabul ties following the exit of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
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