KARACHI : PM Imran Khan’s statement irks debate in the general public after he announced to offer citizenship to Pakistan-born refugees of Afghan and Bangladeshi origins. Prime Minister Imran Khan announced this during his maiden visit to Karachi on Sunday after forming the government.
The announcement of the new PM led to a mixed reaction. Some criticized it because of security reasons and population that already exists in Pakistan and people have major concerns towards Afghan people taking into account the security of the country. While some termed it a good move on humanitarian grounds and abiding international treaties to which Pakistan is a signatory.
Fsahat Ul Hassan a rights activist while talking to The Dayspring said that offering citizenship to those Afghan and Bangladeshi people who are born in Pakistan is laudable and should be appreciated, while appreciating the decision which he termed completely a humanitarian act following international law and in accordance with article 4 of the Citizenship Act 1951 of Pakistan, he also advised the government to devise the policy in a strategic way so that no one can use the offer for unfair means and for any reason that can compromise the peace of the country.
Shazia Jabbar a youth activist from Islamabad criticized the decision and said that this is not the right time to take such decisions when we already have plethora of other problems that need to be resolved first. Such decisions are appreciated where you have everything in lines with the law of the country she added. Pakistan is moving towards prosperity and peace and such decisions where you offer other nationals your citizenship is not a good move at all, referring America’s policies regarding immigrants she said world is taking hard stance on it and a country like Pakistan is not in a position to offer citizenship to any other national.
To give a detailed over view Pakistan is home to more than 1.39 million registered Afghan refugees, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), many of whom have been resident in the country for more than 30 years.
There are also more than 200,000 ethnic Bangladeshis in Pakistan, most of whom live in the southern city of Karachi. Many of them were stranded in the city after the war in 1971 when Bangladesh, then East Pakistan, gained independence.
