PESHAWAR, April 6: Most of the Afghan refugees returning to their homeland are suffering from psychological ailments, which they contracted owing to their prolonged stay outside their country, said Azizuddin Himmat, president of the Psychological Association of Afghanistan.

“As most the Afghans have been living on Pakistan’s soil over the last 20 years and their houses have been completely demolished due to heavy fighting in Afghanistan all these years, and now when they return back to Afghanistan and find their homes in ruins, they become extremely depressed,” said Himmat. According to him, 98 per cent of the repatriating Afghan refugees suffer from a number of psychological problems when they come to know that the houses.

The main problem haunting these returnees is lack of health care centres in the war-shattered country, he said, adding that there was only one 50-bed hospital for the treatment of those suffering from psychological ailments. Not this but the number of only six psychologists/psychiatrists at the same centre was grossly insufficient considering the mushrooming number of patients.

The majority of these people stayed in North-West Frontier Province and Blochistan, where they remained engaged in manual work and earned their livelihoods. During all these times, they did not have any knowledge of their country and because of lack of resources and uncertain situation which prevented them to proceed to their country and see things for themselves. However, the urge to visit their country was also there but they awaited for an appropriate time to take up the sojourn.

The time they were waiting for, ultimately approached after the installation of Hamid Karzai-led interim administration and now they are returning in good numbers. According to the UNHCR, more than 150,000 Afghan refugees have returned so far to their country since the present repatriation campaign launched on March 1.

Himmat said the Afghans who were surrounded by uncertain circumstances in Pakistan created host of psychological problems for them but they had no other option except to stay in Pakistan. But now, they their love for the country haunt them so much so that they want to be settled in their own country.

These people include thousands of those who worked in Pakistan-based NGOs and drew handsome salaries but still were away from their homeland and there was no or very little social activities in which they could mix up with their relatives and involve themselves and enjoy the life.

Thus, the homecoming for them in no way would be a solace to the increasingly depressed lot but added to their mental sufferings, Azizuddin Himmat deplored and asked the international community, particularly, the World Health Organisation to establish rehabilitation centres for these sick people in all provinces of Afghanistan to provide relief to the people and enable them to start their lives afresh.

Another Afghan intellectual also described the situation as pathetic and unassuming. Devastated by prolonged war and internal bickering, it would take years for the returning Afghans to settle down, he observed. Even the well-off Afghans who were rushing from European countries weren’t happy when they see the deteriorating situation in their country, he said, adding that lack of health care, education, jobs and other basic facilities are the factors troubling the people.

“The Afghans had pinned great hopes that peace and tranquillity would be established once the US defeat the Taliban and install a friendly government but now they are disappointed, particularly over lack of safety,” he said. The death of aviation minister by the intending pilgrims at Kabul airport had also hit the Afghans hard and they are now unhappy over the fall of Taliban, more so because they (the Taliban) had established much- needed peace in the unfortunate country. The young Afghans who had grown up outside the country are faced with an extremely unpleasant situation. The arrival of dejected Afghan youths find themselves in gloom and most of these young people compel their parents to go out of Afghanistan because the undesirable and bleak scenario do not permit them to stay there.