At a time when the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are committing war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, another group of people is facing a humanitarian crisis on the other side of Asia. In September 2023, Pakistan triggered a crisis by ordering illegal Afghan immigrants to leave the country (by October 31). Islamabad’s move has left millions of Afghan refugees facing an uncertain future.

It may be noted that the Afghan community has been living in Pakistan for decades. Most of these people had migrated to the neighbouring country after the erstwhile Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan in the late 1970s. Many have been living in Pakistan for generations. However, they have not obtained legal citizenship mainly because of (Pakistan’s) complex administrative and legal processes. As per statistics, nearly four million Afghans live in the South Asian country and only 1.7 million are considered illegal refugees by the Government of Pakistan. Islamabad has claimed that at least 0.6-0.8 million Afghans arrived in Pakistan when the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.

The Pakistani Government has further claimed that it had no other option, but to ask the illegal Afghan immigrants to leave the country due to the country’s ongoing economic turmoil and deteriorating security situation. In a statement, the Government has mentioned that many Afghans are involved in organised crime, such as extortion, drug trafficking and terrorism. According to the statement, illegal Afghan immigrants have been involved in 14 of the 24 suicide attacks taken place in Pakistan so far this year.

Meanwhile, Islamabad has blasted the Taliban Government in Kabul for giving safe haven to militant outfits, like Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, who are behind those suicide attacks. The Government of Pakistan has stated that the Afghans are also stealing jobs of Pakistani people, adding that deportation of nearly two million Afghans would turn the economy, apart from decreasing the unemployment.

Incidentally, the Afghan economy, too, is in shambles. The recent earthquakes have made it even worse. In such a situation, if so many people return to Afghanistan, they will not get food and employment. Furthermore, the international community has not yet recognised the Taliban Government due to Human Rights violations. Hence, the UN, various Human Rights organisations and some Western countries have requested Pakistan to reconsider its decision. However, Islamabad is not ready to change the decision.

Pakistan is scheduled to hold Parliamentary Elections in February 2024. Experts are of the opinion that the Pakistani Army may be behind this decision to deport illegal Afghan immigrants from the country that is currently under the control of a Caretaker Government. When the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, it was largely seen as a victory for the Pakistani Army. And now, Pakistan is trying to put the Taliban Government under diplomatic pressure by asking the Afghan immigrants to return to their crisis-wracked home country. Since the 1970s, the Afghan refugees have kept walking from one country to another.

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das