In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have crossed the border into Pakistan - most of them children - fleeing the war on terror that still bristles in their homeland. But growing up in refugee camps, crushed by poverty in a foreign country, their lives are yet filled with violence, hate and terror.
Join filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid - a young Pakistani woman educated in the U.S. - as she returns to Karachi, Pakistan with camera in tow and follow the troubled lives of seven displaced Afghani children who fled to Karachi after September 11. With unprecedented access to camps, markets and Islamic religious schools (madrassas) where few Westerners are welcome, discover young boys and girls forced to bear the responsibilities of grown men and women - but who are, at heart, still just kids.
Set on the frenetic, unforgiving streets of Pakistan's most congested city, Obaid's tale presents poignant stories of the aftermath of war, the division of loyalties and the hardening of the spirit - and raises questions about whether the harsh conditions in Pakistan may be a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists. Says Obaid, "The world should know that while the war on terrorism continues, there is an entire generation of Afghani children growing up in refugee camps and madrassas in Pakistan who are desperate and frustrated. In 10 to 20 years, if they fall into bad company, these will be the next generation of terrorists."
