ludUO

not figure in the national discourse; the media, political parties and civil society
at large did not pay attention to it.
Afghans in Pakistan
Not all Afghan nationals in Pakistan were refugees but almost all were
reluctant to return to Afghanistan because of instability and lack of security in
their homeland. The Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 2012 were one of the
largest and most protracted refugee populations anywhere in the world. Of
around 2.6 million Afghan nationals that remained in Pakistan at the end of
2012, a little over 1.6 million were registered with the authorities, and were
protected against forced return. An estimated one million Afghans lacked
registration and were treated essentially as illegal immigrants under the Pakistani
law.
The UNHCR-facilitated voluntary repatriation programme for registered
Afghans continued through 2012. However, it was obvious from the pace of
repatriation throughout the year that the overwhelming majority of registered
Afghans in Pakistan would not leave by the December 31 deadline. In late
October, UNHCR boosted incentives for any registered Afghans who returned
in November and December. Overall, as many as 83,423 registered Afghans in
Pakistan (15,348 families) chose to return to their homeland in 2012 with
UNHCR facilitation.
The majority of the registered Afghans that remained in Pakistan at the
end of 2012 were those born and raised in Pakistan. Despite the incentives and
demands from the authorities, poverty, continued insecurity and instability,
and lack of land and jobs in Afghanistan caused reluctance among them to
leave.
In mid-December, the government of Pakistan extended by six months
the December 31 deadline by which all registered Afghans were to return to
their homeland. However, the trends of repatriation in recent years did not
suggest that the June 30, 2013 deadline would be met either.
Repatriation of registered Afghans from Pakistan in 2012
Province / region ...................... Families ................. Individuals
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa .................... 9,845 ........................ 55,391
Balochistan .................................... 3,122 ........................ 16,113
Punjab............................................ 1,396 ......................... 7,402
Sindh .............................................. 813 ........................... 3,714
Islamabad ....................................... 172 ............................. 803
Total ............................................. 15,348 ....................... 83,423
When the year ended, there were 1,637,740 registered Afghans in Pakistan.
There had been no new registration in 2012, with the exception of new birth
275
State of Human Rights in 2012