Repatriating illegal aliens

Pakistan has a right policy on Afghanistan. Its decision to send back illegal Afghan refugees is a step in the right direction. Increase in terror incidents over the last two years had pointed a finger at scot-free movement of men and material across the western borders, and the presence of Afghans had simply compounded the situation. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar made a judicious assessment as he said that the deportation drive of illegal immigrants is linked with counter-terrorism actions. The statistics are horrifying to say the least: 60% increase in terror incidents since August 2021, and 500 percent rise in suicide attacks across the country. Moreover, around 2,267 innocent citizens lost their lives and many of those incidents were claimed by the outlawed TTP. The audacity of conducting cowardly attacks inside Pakistan by using Afghan soil has been a bone of contention between authorities in Islamabad and Kabul, but unfortunately there seemed to be no rational listeners in the Afghan capital.

Pakistan cannot simply sit and watch the situation. It has taken a difficult decision, though. But it has far-reaching consequences and the expulsion of all the men in the shadows will surely bring in the much-desired full stop to terrorism, which has been uncontrollable for the last many decades. It is worrisome to note that more than 15 Afghans were also among the people involved in suicide attacks, and to this day 64 Afghan citizens were killed while fighting Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies. This is why Pakistan has full legal and ethical right to send back foreigners residing in the country illegally, and the present expulsion phase is de jure in essence.

It is, however, a challenge to repatriate more than 1.4 million Afghan refugees currently residing inside Pakistan. It is consoling to note that around 252,000 illegal immigrants have returned to their country. The crackdown is only on illegal refugees and another 0.8 million Afghans issued with ‘Proof of Residence’ cards are not being deported. Thus, the hue and cry of discrimination is unfounded.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2023.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.