Witch-hunt against dual nationals

As a 'pure blood' citizen (not dual national), the increasingly xenophobic nature of Pakistani society is appalling.

Would you choose to live in Pakistan if you had the choice to settle abroad comfortably? One can argue that most Pakistanis, if given the choice to settle abroad comfortably, would choose to leave the country in a split second (with several caveats to clear their conscience for ‘abandoning’ their homeland). Escaping a life lived in the shadows of unrelenting violence, especially in light of the state’s inability to provide basic necessities, would appear to be a rational decision. Instead, most Pakistanis would balk at openly admitting that they would like to move abroad, citing their patriotism as a reason to stay in the country regardless of its problems. I’d like to go out on a limb to argue that most of us are actually being hypocritical by cloaking our inability to move abroad under the garb of patriotism to protect our ego. This sentiment could turn into something positive if we channeled our patriotism to serve the country and make a difference. However, we’re a nation that likes to talk the talk without walking the walk. In the absence of making any meaningful difference in society to solve Pakistan’s problems, we choose to overcome the insecurity of our hollow patriotism by questioning the patriotism of a sub-sect of Pakistanis with ‘questionable’ street cred, i.e., dual nationals.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. There are two things most Pakistanis take for granted at birth: our religion and our citizenship. We’re a nation that is born into patriotism and religiosity. These two ‘behind the scenes’ but influential pillars of our subliminal personality manifest themselves in ways that are detrimental to furthering our collective interest. This is why dual nationals are everyone’s favourite punching bag these days. Unfortunately, the media is leading the charge to ‘expose’ dual nationals and their ‘duplicity’. Recently, I saw a report on a news channel that condemned dual nationals working at a government institution, questioning their commitment to the country, even though their actual job description and tasks aren’t compromised by a dual nationality. If anything, Pakistan could use talented, highly qualified individuals to reverse the ‘brain drain’ we so fiercely condemn. Instead, it appears that we’ve launched a witch-hunt against dual nationals, questioning their loyalty, despite their decision to return home and work when many Pakistanis would do the opposite, if they had the choice.

As a ‘pure blood’ Pakistani citizen (i.e., not a dual national), I’m appalled by the increasingly xenophobic nature of Pakistani society. To be brutally honest, there’s no point in living in Pakistan if you want to avoid problems in life. On the other hand, if you love solving complex problems and want to live a life of meaning, while contributing to society, there’s no place better than Pakistan to call home as the scale of the country’s challenges will inspire you to live life to the fullest.

If there’s one silver lining to the sheer scale of challenges Pakistan faces, it’s that every one of us has the potential to rewrite human history by attempting to make a difference in society within our sphere of influence. The Pakistani people are frontline warriors in the greatest ideological battles of the 21^st century. Whether it’s the war against religious extremism or the definitive showdown between democracy and entrenched dictatorship, Pakistanis will play an outsized role in shaping not just their own future, but also a new, post-9/11 world order.

Instead of using this as an opportunity to create a life full of meaning, most Pakistani middle- and upper-class folks — who can actually make a difference in society — are content with criticising the government and living happily in their DHA bubble. This, too, wouldn’t be so bad if they chose not to criticise folks who are trying to make a difference, i.e., dual nationals (among others). One can argue that all dual nationals may not have pure intentions but that argument shouldn’t be used to question the loyalties of all dual nationals. If questioning the patriotism of others is the only way we have to prove the strength of our own patriotism, then we have bigger problems than dual nationals running amok in our country.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2013.

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