Afghan Crisis Worsens India's Refugee Dilemma

Will ad hoc policy for asylum-seekers finally be regularised under UN pressure?

- Bidisha Banerji and Aditi Chatterjee

Over the past weeks, as the Afghanistan crisis deepened and Taliban took over, Afghan nationals already in Delhi started camping outside the UNHCR office in the Indian capital, with various demands including for refugee status. This has created civic disruption in the area, for which the Vasant Vihar Welfare Association has sought legal recourse.

Afghan, Rohingya refugees have this similarity

As the influx of Afghan refugees continues into neighbouring countries, India is seeing several Afghan minorities wanting asylum here. There are already 15,000-18,000 Afghan refugees in India, according to experts. Separately, the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas in Myanmar has also led to considerable Rohingya Muslims illegally seeking refuge in Bangladesh and also in India. Though the Afghan and Rohingya refugee crises appear disconnected, both are part of a major migration upheaval in the South Asian region.