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Editorial: What changed?

According to the statistics obtained from the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, totally 250,000 Afghans submitted applications for asylum in the European Union states in 2015. Most of them went illegally there. Many were pushed out of the country by poverty and some by insecurity. The wave of immigration rose up after establishment of the National Unity Government which failed to deliver on its promises—ending poverty and improving the national economy to create thousands of job opportunities. Lack of facilities and intention forced the investors to abandon the country and invest in foreign countries. The capital flight was a major blow for the already fragile economy which is mostly dependent on the donations and foreign aid. Sadly, most of the donations are wasted because corruption and maladministration is not a new story.

Nothing has changed for good in the country because people are still taking the risk to secure a better future in the industrial countries. The claims of the government about increase in revenues failed to placate the situation because the rich get richer and the poor get poorer with every passing day. Shrinking investment in real estate sector and closed shops are the indicators that the government is not moving forward but still standing at the square one. The authorities are only relying on statements to discourage illegal immigration. Words without actions are just a waste of time and deception.

That’s why the situation is not getting better. The only booming business in Afghanistan is human trafficking. In the first three months of the current year, as many as 30,000 Afghans, mostly young people and children, left the country. Although, 12 percent of 3,700 people, drowned in the sea, were from Afghanistan but it could not discourage people.

Over 50 percent of Afghan immigrants applied for asylum in Germany. As per the official data, around 150,000 Afghans sought asylum in Germany last year. Numbers of those who are returning to the country is insignificant. The government cannot turn a blind eye to this serious issue because it is major factor responsible for brain drain, preventing the country from development. The authorities shall either discourage the potential illegal immigrants or open doors for foreigners to work in the country to fill the void left by locals.

Unfortunately, the policymakers have not prioritized the mass-immigration as a key challenge. They see improved foreign reserves in the large-scale immigration. Second, the officials lack confidence because most of them secured their jobs on the basis of nepotism and favoritism. There is need for a clear mechanism to resolve this problem. The best initiate would be introduction of industrial-scale reforms in all governmental organizations and firing of those who failed to deliver.

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