Deportation drive targets all illegal aliens, not just Afghans

Repatriation of Afghans is a tit-for-tat response to Afghan government’s indecision to stop terrorism

Ever since the announcement by the government to repatriate illegal migrants from Pakistan, the media has been swamped with an avalanche of criticism from every quarter. Since a considerable percentage of illegal migrants are Afghans, a myth is created to suggest that the entire exercise of repatriating illegal migrants has been targeted at Afghan refugees living in Pakistan for over four decades. Social media is viral with images of illegal Afghans leaving the country, propped up with a narrative that the decision to send Afghans packing at a time when their country is struggling to find its foothold would cost Pakistan heavily in future. For many, it is a heartless gesture, considering that among the repatriates are a large number of children and women who had to leave their education and homes for an uncertain life back in their country. For a few, the repatriation of Afghans is a tit-for-tat response to the Afghan government’s indecision to stop terrorism emerging from its soil against Pakistan.

It is undoubtedly difficult for anyone to leave their sojourn. However, in a realist world, decisions are not made on emotions but on the personal interest of the nation. Ideally, if the government’s decision to repatriate illegal migrants was not labelled as an anti-Afghan movement, many of these myths would have died prematurely. In their haste, the critical voices even forgot to praise Pakistan for hosting millions of Afghans both as refugees and settled immigrants for over four decades. They even failed to recognise that despite the so-called exodus, Pakistan would still be hosting millions of registered Afghans.

No country in the world has shown the courage to provide an enabling habitat to migrants in such a large number. Instead, Europe, during the Syrian war, and recently, many Arab countries bordering Gaza, have closed their borders to the fleeing migrants, trapping them in a death cell. Pakistan had even gone so far as to allow the refugees to build their businesses and professions and settle in urban localities. Today, Afghans are spread across the length and breadth of the country.

It goes to Pakistan’s credit that it has not touched the registered Afghans. Their deportation could have been managed if malfeasance drove the decision to repatriate illegal migrants. Whereas Pakistan has engaged several countries, including Afghanistan and the US, to relocate the Afghans to third countries.

Approximately four million Afghans live in Pakistan; and of them, 1.4 million hold Proof of Registration Cards, and 880,000 possess Afghan Citizen Cards. The present illegal migrant expulsion drive excludes both these categories of refugees. In the first phase, only those Afghans are asked to leave or being deported who have none of these legal documents. Despite the expulsion of this large number of illegal migrants, Pakistan would still be hosting 2 million Afghan refugees.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reports that more than 370,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan since the country ordered all illegal immigrants, including over 1.5 million Afghan nationals, to vacate the premises by the start of the month or face deportation.

The question is: why has Pakistan started the drive now?

One, this is not the first time that illegal migrants are asked to leave the country; however, it is the first time that Pakistan has shown seriousness in taking this bull by its horns and, despite domestic and international pressure, has refused to back out.

Two, the decision to expel illegal migrants is linked to the rising incidents of terrorism and lawlessness in the country.

Three, Pakistan’s precarious economic condition has compelled it to weigh its options regarding resource allocation.

Four, many Afghans have been found directly involved in terror-related activities targeted at Pakistan’s security forces, especially in attacks on the army checkposts in Chitral. According to recent revelations by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Akhtar Hayat Khan, Afghan nationals have carried out up to 75 per cent of attacks in Pakistan this year as suicide bombers.

Five, the action is meant to undertake the long overdue reformation of Pakistan’s visa and immigration policies to bring them on a par with international best practices, which require offloading illegal immigrants from the system.

Six, Pakistan is bearing millions of dollars of loss in taxes because of the goods sent duty-free to Afghanistan, which are then smuggled back across the border. Pakistan has made it aptly clear that no Afghan and trading goods will be allowed to enter Pakistan without a valid visa, bringing to an end the luxury of entering Pakistan on a driver’s licence or national identity card.

The stern action also indicates Pakistan’s diminishing tolerance for the Afghan government’s business-as-usual behaviour and its disregard for legitimised border crossing rules and norms, which are extremely vital for security.

Instead of throwing doubts at Pakistan’s intentions, questions should be asked from the unregistered Afghans as to why they did not avail themselves of the opportunity to get registered in 2005 and 2022. Why did they avoid the legal parameters that involved monitoring and surveillance?

Accusations laid on Pakistan for showing inhuman treatment towards the fleeing immigrants are baseless. On the contrary, to ensure the smooth execution of the deportation process of the illegal migrants, 77 transit centres have been set up in all the provinces, including AJK, GB and Islamabad. Security officers not only man the transit centres but are also responsible for escorting the migrants to busses for border crossing. Women and children are exempted from NADRA verification at exit points.

Rather than picking bones with Pakistan on the issue of repatriation of illegal Afghans, the international community should first look at the humanitarian scorecard of the US-led NATO forces during its stay in Afghanistan for almost two decades. Cases are pending against many NATO officers in the International Court of Justice for committing war crimes on innocent civilians in the name of collateral damage.

Afghanistan is at the crossroads of developing into a nation-state, a task the country needs more resources to perform. The time is ripe for the US to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets worth $7 billion. The time is also ripe to let Afghanistan share the burden of its follies and celebrate the joy of its successes.

Like any country, Pakistan has the right to make the best decisions for its security and economic stability.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2023.

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