Iraqi refugees face hostile environment

Iraqi refugees in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta are complaining of increased police harassment. Khalid Ahmad who has lived for nine years in the Spinni road area of the city, where the largest concentration of Iraqis resides, told IRIN that he and two other illegal Iraqi refugees were arrested and jailed for five days, after being asked for documentation. “The police said we had a month to get out of the country,” he said. Ahmad explained that he came to Pakistan in the hope that he would be granted asylum. “We are begging on the streets to make ends meet,” he added. The treatment reflects that meted out by police throughout Pakistan, and particularly in the North-West Frontier Province and the central Punjab Province, where refugees have allegedly been forced to give police bribes or face being thrown into jail, coupled with a severe beating. “The Pakistani authorities treat the Iraqis worse than the Afghans,” a UN official in Quetta said. “Refugees are a sensitive issue here, and everyone knows how the climate for them has changed,” the official said. While there are no nationwide statistics for the Iraqi refugee population, UNHCR estimates around 300 Iraqis to be living in Quetta, including 106 newly arrived so far this year. Most have fled their homeland due to the deteriorating conditions under the brutal regime of Saddam Husayn. Enduring a journey that can take up to a week to get to Pakistan, once inside the country they face a hostile environment. “Under Pakistan’s current policy, Iraqis are not allowed to work here,” Muhammad Ali, UNHCR’s protection assistant in Quetta, told IRIN. He explained that because Pakistan did not accept Iraqi refugees, they were automatically referred for asylum in another country. Ali added that many ended up staying in Pakistan for years after being refused refugee status, and were frequently questioned by police. A total of 55 Iraqis of the 146 new arrivals have been rejected after appeal by UNHCR so far this year. “They know they can get automatic referral to places like the US and Canada, so they refuse to move from Pakistan in the hope they will be able to get out,” Ali said. Iraqis who are recognised as refugees by UNHCR are given a monthly subsistence allowance ranging between US $40 to $100 per month, depending on the size of the family. This allowance is discontinued after three months when a place for resettlement is found by UNHCR. However, many Iraqis in Quetta city lack this support. “The majority of Iraqi cases are rejected as they don’t fill the criteria,” Ali said. He added that some Iraqis had been living in neighbouring Iran for as long as 15 years and had established homes, but would come to Pakistan after hearing they might get the chance of moving to the west. But Pakistan has long contended that it cannot cope with the burden of refugees, and over the past year the country has become more hostile towards them. Meanwhile, for illegal Iraqis such as Ahmad the future looks bleaker than ever. “Where do I go now,” Ahmad asked IRIN. “I cannot go back to Iraq. It is not safe,” he said.