ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities repatriated 50 Afghan children, including 17 girls, through the Torkham border on Sunday evening after the intervention of a local tribal jirga. The move was made on humanitarian grounds, despite initial plans to take legal action.
According to local police official Adnan Khan, the children, most of whom were under 10 years old, illegally entered Pakistan by cutting through the border fence under the cover of darkness. None of them possessed valid travel documents.
“We intended to book them under the Foreigners Act, but the jirga insisted they should not be jailed, considering their age,” said Khan.
Children Used for Cross-Border Smuggling
Shah Khalid Shinwari, Tehsil Council Chairman and head of the five-member jirga, revealed that smuggling networks exploit these children as carriers for transporting goods across the border. Some are even involved in drug trafficking.
Sources at the Torkham border estimate that 700-800 Afghan children are engaged in smuggling a variety of items, including cigarettes, chocolates, soap, and imported goods from Afghanistan, while carrying sugar, dairy products, and jaggery from Pakistan. These children earn between Rs5,000-6,000 per trip when smuggling items from Afghanistan but receive only Rs200-400 per trip for goods from Pakistan.
A Vicious Cycle of Poverty and Exploitation
Farman Shinwari, a former president of the Torkham Labourers and Daily Wagers Association, attributed the growing involvement of Afghan children in smuggling to poverty and lack of opportunities. He noted that when the Afghan Taliban seized power in 2021, border security forces cracked down on child smugglers, enrolling many in schools and seminaries. However, most escaped and returned to smuggling due to financial hardship.
Many of these children belong to families displaced from Bacha Maina, a Pakistani border town where illegal cross-border trade has been a way of life for decades. With few alternatives for survival, they remain trapped in this dangerous and exploitative trade.
