Afghan Refugees, Aid and Anthropologists

Abstract Some of the practical problems that face nations as a result of the mass exodus of populations from one country to another are discussed and analyzed, including the problems of dispensing aid efficiently and in time to them and of how and where anthropologists and social scientists may be employed usefully in the exercise. The author argues on the ground of his experiences as social scientist and civil servant in the North-West Frontier of Pakistan where, at the time of writing, some 600 000 refugees had crossed the border from Afghanistan. Practical means to improve the efficiency of distribution to the refugees are suggested, and the problem as it pertains to the situation of the refugees is discussed. Since the refugees will be living on the Pakistani side of the Durand line longer than most people expect, the urgency for planning, especially long-term planning, is underlined.