EDITORIAL: It is important to note that the military has put its full weight behind the government’s decision to flush out all “illegal aliens” just as the country is facing unfair pressure and criticism from the global community as well as the international press for this policy. During a visit to Peshawar, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir firmly backed the initiative, reminding everybody that “illegal foreigners are seriously affecting Pakistan’s security and economy”.
Much of the world is concerned about sending Afghans – the biggest “illegal immigrant” community in Pakistan for decades – back to the unforgiving Taliban regime, even though most countries suddenly so worried about Afghans refuse to lend them any aid because of diplomatic nuances. And since most Afghans without formal documentation lived in KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), the province bordering their country, the COAS’s speech in the provincial capital assumed extra significance.
The army’s support comes on the heels of a foreign office clarification that the deportation policy is in keeping with both international and domestic immigration laws, for which Pakistan does not need to provide any explanation. It is being ensured, though, that the repatriations are carried out in a dignified manner. Those criticising Pakistan must also note that the country has housed the largest number of refugees anywhere in the world for the longest time, and that too without keeping them caged in refugee camps – as is the practice in much of the world. Instead, we readily assimilated them into our society, to the extent of granting a large number of them national identity cards and passports.
Yet it’s also true that many of these illegal foreigners have been involved in all sorts of criminal activity, from forming part of TTP’s network of sleeper cells to facilitating crippling dollar smuggling across the Durand Line. And at a time when the country is juggling existential crises ranging from the threat of sovereign default to facing another wave of TTP terrorism, and the Afghan government is not honouring promises of keeping its side of the border clean, Islamabad’s hand is forced.
The military, for its part, not only appreciates these concerns, but is lending a very active hand. Its role is crucial in ensuring security all over the country, and its intervention has just made it possible to smash illegal smuggling networks that created a large black economy, and pushed the rupee through the floor. Its participation in the special investment facilitation council (SIFC) has also helped streamline centre-provinces friction in matters like the NFC award, etc.
To be fair, the problems of Afghans and Afghanistan are for the Afghan government to solve. Kabul must realise that it has no better friend than Islamabad at the moment, when its own behaviour has alienated the entire world. The time has come for the Taliban regime to do some very serious soul searching. It’s clear that it cannot survive in isolation. And since the Taliban readily promised to peace talk facilitators, especially the Pakistani government, that they would carry out progressive reforms, especially regarding women and minority rights, they must keep their word.
The international recognition and good will that will follow will surely amount to a win-win situation for everybody. Yet it is Afghanistan’s own government that flatly rules out any such possibility. To blame Pakistan for protecting its own interests, in strict compliance with international law, when the Afghan government is alienating its own citizens and the global community, is wrong.
There should never be any room for illegal immigrants in any country; especially, those that have lived through the nightmare of unbridled terrorism and face the same threat once again.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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