A kid at play in Khan Colony

A view of the mosque in the colony

Almost every household has a goat or more goats

Most of the refugees like to return to Afghanistan

Farhanda Ali (10) carries her younger brother Ali Khan (1)

Children began to pose for the camera as soon as they saw the foreign journalists visiting them

They have been living in this colony for more than a decade, and they feel that they are neglected

Afghanistan looks as a distant dream for those who left their homes as children

Goats in Khan Colony are being fed with Carrot

Most of the Afghan people managed to blend with the culture in Lahore

The second and third generation born in Pakistan do not know their mother tongue-Dari

They have to compete with the host community for resources

The kids in Khan Colony do not know what the future holds for them

Their childhood is spent in this colony. They do not have money for recreation

The do not know their ancestor's place

The responsibilities lie on their shoulders, but they do not know how to carry it out

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Displaced Afghans in Khan Colony, Lahore

"Displaced societies are of value. Their issues are our issues."
~Cynthia Basinet-(b. 1971-)- American Singer, Social Change Activist (1,000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize-2005)

Pakistan's estimated population was 172,800,000 in July 2008. It's the World's sixth most populous country. By the end of this decade it is expected to be nearly 180 million according to wikipedia. Pakistan has hosted one of the world's largest refugee populations since 1978. Almost two million Afghan refugees remain there according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The refugees who fled the fighting in Afghnaistitan are scatted in the cities of Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta, Rawalpindi, and other cities.

There are 500 families (4,500 persons) living in Khan Colony, Gulberg in the city of Lahore. Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan.They left from their homes in 1996, and came to Lahore. Most of them here feel frustrated and disappaointed. They have to walk for a few kilometers to fetch water. They are not rich, and find it difficult to meet the daily needs in life. Men go for labourer job, and earn Pakistan Rupees 100/= or less per day. The women go to houses for cleaning, and earn Pakistan Rupees 50/= to Pakistan Rupees 100/=. They say it's not enough to meet the needs. But they are left with nothing.

Their mother tongue is Darwi. They speak fluently in Pashto and Urdu. Most of the children do not go to school, as their parents cannot afford to send them to school.

The people in Khan Colony languish, and have no hopes for their future.
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