Imran Khan vows to grant Pakistani citizenship to Afghan refugees

Afghan refugees in Islamabad Photo: UN

Prime Minister Imran Khan has promised to grant citizenship to Afghan refugees living in the country for decades, citing both humanitarian and law and order reasons.

Khan, who initially made the policy statement in Karachi over the weekend while speaking on ways to address law and order problems in the port city, reiterated his pledge Tuesday in the Parliament.

The new Pakistani prime minister, who has also vowed the same rights for Bengali refugees, said he would consult the Opposition parties on the issue – which will also have political implications for Karachi – the largest Pakistani city which has gone through unrest due to ethnicity-based politics.

The grant of citizenship – issuance of national identity cards and passports – will not just be symbolic but also open new opportunities for refugees.

While waves of Afghans moved into Pakistan after 1979 Soviet occupation of the neighboring country, people from Bengal came after 1971 Pakistan-India war.

Currently, Pakistan is home to around 1.5 million Afghan refugees, who live in camps and other places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan but large numbers of them live in Karachi – the financial and jobs hub.

“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,” Khan said, while making the case for citizenship for refugees.

Khan’s gesture may also help ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, who often blame each other for allowing militants to operate from their territories to inflict terror on peaceful citizens.

In Pakistan, the prime minister’s sudden announcement has drawn mixed reaction, since many in Pakistan see Afghan refugee camps as source of problems like drugs, Kalashnikov culture and militancy.

Pakistan’s Karachi-based Dawn newspaper welcomed the move but also had words of caution in an editorial: “Mr Khan’s idea to grant citizenship to long-term ‘refugees’ is significant and has the potential to positively transform the lives of many residents of this country. Yet, unilateralism at this stage by the federal government could sharpen political opposition to the PTI and mire a good idea in deep controversy.”

Khan says there is no justification for denying citizenship to the Afghans whose children were born in Pakistan and have lived here for a long time.

“Bengali refugees have been living in Pakistan for a long time. We can neither throw them out of the country nor are they citizens. If they do not get registered, they will be disappointed. We are giving citizenship to Afghan and Bengali children on humanitarian grounds,” he said in the Parliament on Tuesday.

“The refugees are also human beings and if we do not take a decision on this, there will be severe problems in the society — it will be better if the opposition gives us advice on this matter.”