THE spectacle of Afghan families trudging back across the border from Pakistan has become sadly familiar. Since April, more than half a million have returned, many under duress. In the first week of September alone, nearly 100,000 crossed — just as earthquakes flattened parts of the country they were entering. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, warns of a “crisis within a crisis”: forced returns clashing with a natural disaster in a state already in danger of collapse. Pakistan has carried much of the burden of Afghan displacement for decades, often without adequate foreign assistance. It cannot be expected to shoulder this responsibility........

© Dawn