ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government faced severe criticism in the National Assembly on Tuesday when its friends and foes joined hands in denouncing Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent announcement about granting citizenship rights to Afghan refugees and Bengalis living in the country, particularly in Karachi.

Raising the matter through a call attention notice, members of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Balochistan National Party (BNP), a ruling coalition partner, questioned the rationale behind the PM’s remarks and alleged that Mr Khan had made the statement without realising sensitivities attached to the matter.

The opposition members also asked the government to provide complete data about the presence of registered and unregistered Afghan refugees, Bengalis and other illegal immigrants in the country before taking such a major step.

Mr Khan, during his maiden visit to Karachi after assuming the office of prime minister earlier this month, had linked the city’s street crime problem with its ‘growing underclass’. “These people, who are originally from Bangladesh and Afghanistan, do not get passports or ID cards. [As a result], they do not get jobs. This is a deprived class in Karachi that goes towards crime, as it has no other option,” PM Khan had said, vowing to recognise the neglected class as “citizens of Pakistan”.

Minister says govt ready to debate matter, collecting data of refugees, immigrants for first time in country’s history

When the issue was raised by BNP chief Akhtar Mengal through a point of order last week, the prime minister justified his remarks and reiterated his call for giving citizenship rights to the Afghans and Bengalis who were born and raised in Pakistan. Finally when Mr Mengal staged a protest walkout, the prime minister declared that the government had not taken any decision and would consult all political parties before taking a final decision on the matter.

“How can you give such a policy statement without consulting parliament and the provinces?” asked former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar while moving the notice.

Terming Mr Khan’s statement “irresponsible”, the PPP lawmaker said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief should realise that he represented the whole country and not just his party after becoming prime minister.

Another PPP lawmaker, Dr Nafeesa Shah, said PM Khan perhaps did not know the importance of the issue for the people who had witnessed a civil war-like situation over the resources of Karachi.

Drawing a somewhat confusing analogy, Ms Shah complained that while PM Khan talked fondly about the state of Madina, “he forgets that the Pakistani immigrants living in Saudi Arabia for decades have never been able to secure citizenship”.

The BNP chief lamented that at a time when the Baloch were not being treated well in their own country, the prime minister announced plans for grant of citizenship to the Bengalis and Afghans on humanitarian grounds. He regretted that an illegal immigrant could continue to live in the country “simply by paying Rs500 fine” and go on to accumulate property worth millions of rupees.

“We have turned our country into a world orphanage. Bring all the refugees and orphans to this country,” the BNP chief said. Even the Afghanistan’s cricket team comprised players who possessed Pakistani passports and owned properties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he added.

‘Law says those born in Pakistan are Pakistani nationals’

Responding to the arguments raised by the members, Human Rights Mini­ster Dr Shireen Mazari said the government was ready to debate the issue before announcing a final decision.

“Whether you like it or not, it is given in the law that those born in Pakistan are Pakistani nationals,” Ms Mazari said, while quoting the Pakistan Citizenship Act 1951.

“Every person born in Pakistan after the commencement of this Act shall be a citizen of Pakistan by birth: Provided that a person shall not be such a citizen by virtue of this section if at the time of his birth: (a) his father possesses such immunity from suit and legal process as is accorded to an every of an external sovereign power accredited in Pakistan and is not a citizen of Pakistan; or (b) His father is an enemy alien and the birth occurs in a place then under occupation by the enemy,” the minister quoted the relevant provision of the act.

She informed the house that Mr Mengal had met the prime minister on Monday evening and he had been assured that the ruling PTI would consult all other parties before arriving at a decision.

Slamming the previous regimes for not taking up the issue seriously, she said it was the PTI government that had started compiling data about refugees and other immigrants for the first time in the country’s history. The minister criticised the PPP for failing to collect data about such people living in Karachi despite being in power for decades.

Debate on mini-budget

While taking part in the debate on mini-budget, which was presented by finance minister Asad Umar last week, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry held the “visionless” policies of the previous governments of the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz responsible for the poor state of economy.

“Ishaq Dar [the former finance minister] and company have committed a criminal act [by ruining the economy],” Mr Chaudhry declared.

“Who is responsible for the present state of economy? Those who formed government only 21 or 22 days ago or those ‘experienced’ governments which had been ruling the country for the past one decade?” he asked.

Terming “Ishaq Dar and company” the “biggest criminals”, the information minister alleged that the former finance minister had fled the country in a private jet of the former prime minister whereas he had been declared an absconder by courts in Pakistan.

Mr Chaudhry also criticised the previous PML-N government for launching expensive projects of metro bus for which the Punjab government had to pay Rs8 billion as subsidy. He said PML-N president and former chief minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had spent Rs11 trillion during the past 10 years. He said the PTI government was left with no money to pay even salaries and pensions to the employees of Radio Pakistan.

Govt promises with IMF, Saudi Arabia be made public Earlier, PPP lawmaker Naveed Qamar demanded that if the government planned to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, it should tell the people and prepare them for the conditions that would likely be imposed by the monetary body.

He also demanded that the government inform the nation about “promises” made by the prime minister during his recent trip to Saudi Arabia. “Tell us if you have made any commitments with Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“This parliament had opposed the idea of sending troops to Saudi Arabia. Have you made any commitment in this regard? If not then tell this house categorically,” he asked.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2018