Imran Khan, the new prime minister of Pakistan, has backed off an announcement he made September 16th to grant citizenship to Afghans and Bengali immigrants and their families. He had previously stated that those who had lived in Pakistan for over 40 years, as well as those who had been born in Pakistan, were deserving of citizenship. He had further stated that the government would be sending out passports and identity cards to immigrants as proof of citizenship. However, following criticism from nationalistic parties, Khan later announced that he would reconsider the subject with others before making a final decision.
Khan had initially cited the American tradition of granting citizenship to people born on US soil in describing his logic for the proposed effort. “When you are born in America, you get the American passport. It is the practice in every country in the world, so why not here? Why are we so cruel to these people? They are humans,” he stated, according to CNN.
In addition, according to News Week Pakistan, the prime minister pointed to crime as a motivating force behind the new measure. Since those who cannot produce an identity card in Pakistan are often turned away by employers, leaving them to turn to crime in order to make a living., the country would be made safer if immigrants were given the required documentation to be able to work.
Facing Khan is a parliament unwilling to change its focus on repatriation. The Pakistani government blames Afghan immigrants for various acts of terrorism and many in the country want the immigrants to return to Afghanistan. The Bangali people are also unpopular with nationalist groups. In fact, the Prime Minister’s initial announcement was so unpopular with the military, that the media admitted that it had not published Khan’s original speech, in an effort to avoid running afoul of government forces.
Pakistan has been the place of refuge for Afghans who fled from the Soviet Union in the 1900’s, as well as Bengalis who entered the country after Pakistan’s civil war broke Pakistan and Bangladesh into two countries. The country has taken up a hard-line approach to the immigration issue. It continues to support repatriation, to the point of coercing some 600,000 Afghanis to return to Afghanistan in 2016, according to CNN.
In large part, Afghans are associated with terrorism in the thought process of many Pakistanis, making them reluctant to accept them as a part of the community. Any move that recognizes the legitimacy of Afghani citizenship in Pakistan risks the action of anti-immigrant factions to resort to violence.
Prime Minister Khan’s initial step was a positive one. By accepting refugees as legitimate citizens of the country, the Prime Minister could be sowing the seeds for equality in Pakistan. By opening the door to citizenry, Pakistan would be offering the Bengalese and Afghani people who choose to live there a chance to be productive members of society, it would aid them financially–as well as socially–and promote a healthier Pakistan that embraces all of its citizens’ potential. In a nation torn apart by nationalistic views, Pakistan needs to take another look at its immigration policy.
That Khan later retracted his statement and deferred to the powers that be within his government is regrettable. Clearly, he knows that humanity comes with certain rights, and that all people should be respected. The nationalistic tendencies of the Pakistani government have led to the suppression and marginalization of the Bengali and Afghan groups that have sought refuge there and prepared the way for violent confrontations with opposing groups and individuals. Nationalism never makes a country stronger: it only tears it apart from within, which is what will happen to Pakistan if it cannot protect the rights of its own people. Imran Khan needs to take courage and stand firm in his decision to initiate the validation of Bengali and Afghan immigrants.
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