CTV News in Pakistan: Afghans forced out of their homeland now homeless
PAKISTAN -
In a Pakistan park meant for children to play in, there are Afghan children struggling to survive.
Living in flimsy tents, without the basics like running water or enough food, with only their mothers for protection – most of them widows.
“My husband was killed by Taliban,” one young mother told CTV News.
It’s a statement so common among the other women, she said it almost casually. There was more urgency in the follow-up.
“I don’t worry for me. I worry for my children.”
The United Nations estimates only about half of the approximately three million Afghans in Pakistan are registered. The rest are paperless, living on the margins.
These are Afghans with no status. They can’t work. They can’t go to school. They don’t have access to health care.
Then there’s the constant fear of being detained or deported.
The Pakistan government is threatening to end the amnesty that protects foreigners who lack proper documentation. Some 1,500 Afghans, including women and children, have reportedly been arrested in recent weeks.
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
The mothers in that makeshift tent city know those temporary shelters won’t withstand the elements of a harsh winter. The children though, are mercifully oblivious to the risk. They happily walked 15 minutes to fetch fresh water as their daily chore.
I saw them laugh as they washed dishes in a small bucket and dutifully remembered to take their shoes off before going inside their tent.
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
One girl was so fascinated by correspondent Genevieve Beauchemin asking questions, she could not stop staring. When photojournalist Stéphane Brisson demonstrated the features of his camera, he too was met with wide-eyed wonder.
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
Kids are kids. For their mothers, there is constant anxiety.
The influx that started in the late 1970s when Afghans were driven out by the Saur Revolution, then the USSR’s invasion, has ebbed and flowed over the years. It intensified in 2021 when the Taliban reclaimed power.
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
When faced with threats and an uncertain future in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, economic hardship in a neighbouring country was the preferred option — a choice both obvious and brave. But in that park in Pakistan, the trade-off looks just as cruel.
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
(Rosa Hwang / CTV News)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
New one-and-done therapy can help curb severe COVID-19 infection: Canadian-led study
A Canadian-led study of a new potential antiviral therapy shows a single dose can help cut the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
Are video games good for kids' brains or bad for them? New research suggests the answer is 'neither'
A small new study has found that neither the frequency of daily gaming reported by pre-teen children nor the specific video game genres they chose to play were linked with their performance on a standardized cognitive tests.
Canada deploys military assessment team to Turkiye after earthquake
Canada deployed a disaster assessment team to Turkey on Wednesday in the wake of a devastating earthquake that's killed thousands, as the federal government faced criticism that the window to help with rescue efforts was closing.
'It was a nightmare': 2 children dead, driver charged after city bus crashes into Laval daycare
Two four-year-old children are dead and a man has been charged with first-degree murder after a driver crashed a city bus into a daycare in Laval, Que. Wednesday morning. The driver, 51-year-old Pierre Ny St-Amand, was arrested at the scene and faces two counts of first-degree murder and several other charges.
Alphabet shares dive after Google AI chatbot Bard flubs answer in ad
Alphabet Inc. lost US$100 billion in market value on Wednesday after its new chatbot shared inaccurate information in a promotional video and a company event failed to dazzle, feeding worries that the Google parent is losing ground to rival Microsoft.
opinion
opinion | Before you do your taxes, take note of these tax credits and deductions you may not have known about
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
Indigo payment systems, online store down after 'cybersecurity incident'
Indigo's payment systems and online store are down after a 'cybersecurity incident,' the company announced on Wednesday evening.
Netflix Canada begins password sharing crackdown
Netflix Canada is rolling out its long-anticipated plans to crack down on password sharing, saying it will begin notifying Canadian users today by email about limitations.
Tyre Nichols documents: Officer never explained stop to him
The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.
Canada
-
Canada deploys military assessment team to Turkiye after earthquake
Canada deployed a disaster assessment team to Turkey on Wednesday in the wake of a devastating earthquake that's killed thousands, as the federal government faced criticism that the window to help with rescue efforts was closing.
-
'Crypto king' associate operated parallel Ponzi scheme while living lavish lifestyle, court documents allege
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
-
'It was a nightmare': 2 children dead, driver charged after city bus crashes into Laval daycare
Two four-year-old children are dead and a man has been charged with first-degree murder after a driver crashed a city bus into a daycare in Laval, Que. Wednesday morning. The driver, 51-year-old Pierre Ny St-Amand, was arrested at the scene and faces two counts of first-degree murder and several other charges.
-
Bank of Canada releases details on interest rate decision for the first time
The Bank of Canada released a summary of its Governing Council meetings on Wednesday, providing the public and financial institutions with more insight into the central bank’s decision to raise its key interest rate on Jan. 25.
-
Keep Canada's doors open to Ukrainians, refugee groups urge Ottawa
Humanitarian groups that have been supporting Ukrainian refugees are calling on Ottawa to extend a special immigration program that allows people fleeing Ukraine to temporarily live, work and study in Canada.
-
Ontario woman’s family missed birth of her child due to visitor visa delays
It’s been over a year since Faith Emenike filled out an application in hopes that her family would be able to visit her in Canada as she gave birth to her first child—but all she’s heard is radio silence.
World
-
Tyre Nichols documents: Officer never explained stop to him
The officer who pulled Tyre Nichols from his car before police fatally beat him never explained why he was being stopped, newly released documents show, and emerging reports from Memphis residents suggest that was common.
-
China has conducted spy balloon program for years: Pentagon
The Chinese balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting for 'several years,' the Pentagon said Wednesday.
-
Sister shields sibling from dust during 36-hour wait for help after quake
Two children wedged between concrete in the remains of their home in northern Syria have been rescued more than 36 hours after Monday's quake trapped their family as they slept.
-
Residents can return after air deemed safe from Ohio derailment
Evacuated residents can return to the Ohio village where crews burned toxic chemicals after a train derailed five days ago near the Pennsylvania state line now that monitors show no dangerous levels in the air, authorities said Wednesday.
-
Texas man pleads guilty in racist 2019 Walmart attack
A Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal hate crime and weapons charges in the racist attack at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, which prosecutors say was preceded by the gunman posting an online screed that warned of a 'Hispanic invasion.'
-
Montana bill would allow students to misgender classmates
Montana schools would not be able to punish students who purposely misgender or deadname their transgender peers under a Republican-backed legislative proposal that opponents argue will increase bullying of children who are already struggling for acceptance.
Politics
-
'There are no words': Laval daycare bus crash prompts outpouring of condolences on Parliament Hill
Condolences are pouring in on Parliament Hill after a Laval, Que., city bus crashed into a daycare on Wednesday morning, with federal politicians of all stripes expressing their sympathies with the families affected and gratitude to the first responders.
-
Poilievre says Conservatives would uphold federal-provincial health-care funding deals
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that if he becomes prime minister he would uphold the 10-year deals Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looking to ink with provinces and territories that would inject $46.2 billion in new funding into Canada's strained health-care systems.
-
Canada deploys military assessment team to Turkiye after earthquake
Canada deployed a disaster assessment team to Turkey on Wednesday in the wake of a devastating earthquake that's killed thousands, as the federal government faced criticism that the window to help with rescue efforts was closing.
Health
-
New one-and-done therapy can help curb severe COVID-19 infection: Canadian-led study
A Canadian-led study of a new potential antiviral therapy shows a single dose can help cut the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
-
Are video games good for kids' brains or bad for them? New research suggests the answer is 'neither'
A small new study has found that neither the frequency of daily gaming reported by pre-teen children nor the specific video game genres they chose to play were linked with their performance on a standardized cognitive tests.
-
Data shows 6 provinces see increase in average wait times at walk-in clinics in 2022
According to newly released data, six provinces had increased wait times for walk-in clinics in 2022, with Canadians waiting an average of 37 minutes before seeing a physician.
Sci-Tech
-
Twitter scrambles to fix meltdown as many unable to tweet
Many Twitter users found themselves unable to tweet, follow accounts or access their direct messages on Wednesday as the Elon Musk-owned platform experienced a slew of widespread technical problems.
-
Alphabet shares dive after Google AI chatbot Bard flubs answer in ad
Alphabet Inc. lost US$100 billion in market value on Wednesday after its new chatbot shared inaccurate information in a promotional video and a company event failed to dazzle, feeding worries that the Google parent is losing ground to rival Microsoft.
-
Balloons and drones among 768 Canadian UFO reports from 2022: researcher
Balloons and drones were among 768 reported UFO sightings in Canada last year, according to Winnipeg-based researcher Chris Rutkowski, who also found that eight per cent of all cases remained unexplained.
Entertainment
-
Netflix Canada begins password sharing crackdown
Netflix Canada is rolling out its long-anticipated plans to crack down on password sharing, saying it will begin notifying Canadian users today by email about limitations.
-
Chasing Horse charged with federal crimes in sex abuse probe
A former 'Dances With Wolves' actor accused of sexually abusing Indigenous women and girls for decades was charged with federal crimes Wednesday, adding to the growing list of criminal cases against Nathan Chasing Horse since his arrest last week in Nevada.
-
Premium tickets or discounts? Cineplex CEO 'experiments' with ticket price
While audiences rush back to theatres to catch 'Avatar: The Way of Water' on pricey Imax screens, the head of Cineplex Inc. says he's open to 'experiments' with cheaper tickets for some movies if they might lure back people who are staying home.
Business
-
5 key takeaways from the BoC's first summary of interest rate deliberations
In a first for the Bank of Canada, it has released a summary of deliberations by its governing council regarding its policy decision to raise its key interest rate target by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.5 per cent in January. Here are five key takeaways from those discussions.
-
Indigo payment systems, online store down after 'cybersecurity incident'
Indigo's payment systems and online store are down after a 'cybersecurity incident,' the company announced on Wednesday evening.
-
Uber brings back pooled rides to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver
Ride-hailing app Uber has brought back its carpooling service in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver after a nearly three-year hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns.
Lifestyle
-
Earnest or playful, that Valentine's card has a history
It was Valentine's Day 1917 in the Minnesota farming village of Lewiston, and Fred Roth -- a fourth grader -- seems to have come up with just the way to express his love for his sweetheart, Louise Wirt. He gave her a card.
-
94-year-old baking phenom makes weekly treats for fellow seniors in Halifax
Winnifred Bowden, a 94-year-old living in Halifax, is baking up weekly treats for her fellow residents.
-
From $55 to $130: Which Canadians plan to spend the most this Valentine's Day?
As Valentine's Day approaches, many Canadians are preparing to celebrate by taking their loved ones to dinner and buying them gifts, but how much are we spending on this day coast to coast?
Sports
-
Lakers trading Russell Westbrook to Jazz in 3-team swap: AP source
The Los Angeles Lakers are trading Russell Westbrook to Utah and reacquiring guard D'Angelo Russell from Minnesota in a three-team, eight-player deal, a person with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.
-
Siakam, Barnes ignoring trade deadline speculation as Raptors could be sellers
After seven seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Pascal Siakam is over trade deadline speculation.
-
Will Ferrell, Alicia Silverstone star in Super Bowl ads
Big name advertisers from Netflix to Google are paying as much as US$7 million for a 30-second spot during the NFL's Super Bowl championship game on Sunday, in order to capture the attention of the roughly 100 million U.S. viewers who tune in each year.
Autos
-
Renault, Nissan boards agree to equalize mutual stakes
Automakers Renault and Nissan on Monday formalized their reboot of a relationship that had grown rocky, culminating in the spectacular fall of top executive Carlos Ghosn, who had led successful turnarounds at both companies before his arrest and daring escape.
-
Use of electric vehicles associated with fewer asthma-related ER visits on a local level, study shows
New research suggests that cutting fossil fuel emissions by adopting electric vehicles can improve air quality and potentially reduce respiratory problems in communities. But these benefits may not apply to all neighbourhoods in the same way.
-
Super Bowl draws epic air show of private planes to Phoenix
Former NFL player Jim Bob Morris is heading to the Super Bowl in Phoenix from Bloomington, Illinois, in a newly refurbished set of wheels. His ride has new paint, new seating and even a new bathroom.
