The endless wait for freedom: Afghans stuck in Pakistan hope for relocation to Western countries

More than 345,000 Afghan migrants have returned home from Pakistan since October 2023, either voluntarily or by force. The Pakistani government had ordered all undocumented migrants, or those who overstayed their visas to leave or be deported. But tens of thousands of Afghans who have valid paperwork remain in Pakistan, hoping for their asylum claims to be processed for their relocation to a Western country. Their wait, however, is painfully slow.