LONDON: In a comment piece published by British newspaper The Telegraph late Sunday evening, caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said Pakistan’s migrant burden is “far larger than Britain’s” and that “we have every right to do something about it”.

The caretaker prime minister likened the mass deportation of Afg­hans to the UK’s Rwanda plan, which has been dec­lared illegal by the Su­p­reme Court over fea­rs of harm to refugees. The UK asylum plan sought to send asylum seekers and refugees to Rwanda for processing, in a bid to deter people arriving in the UK.

“The heated debate surrounding the [Rwa­nda] proposal and the many efforts to derail the scheme illustrate the huge challenges for policymakers as they seek to balance human rights with hard realities,” he wrote, about the UK plan.

The caretaker PM’s piece comes amidst condemnation from international rights bodies of Pakis­tan’s mass deportation policy.

Pakistan’s migrant burden far larger than Britain’s, Kakar writes in Telegraph article; heads to Quetta after Kuwait condolence visit

Sources told Dawn the piece was pitched by the government keeping in view the criticism of the deportation policy in the international rights group circles, and with a view to reaching an international audience. The Telegraph has a paywall for online readers who must subscribe after reading one free article.

Mr Kakar maintained that though “hospitality is in Pakistan’s DNA…despite frequent opportunities to repatriate voluntarily, and multiple government attempts to register those who remain undocumented, a significant number has persistently refused to formalise their status, choosing instead to stay in the shadows”.

The PM said that the mass deportation is a sign of migration pressures, adding that governments all over the world are “adapting to a new era of mass migration” because of conflict, climate change or economic opportunism and that “the UK government’s plan to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda is a sign of that pressure”.

He wrote, “Pakistan’s problem is of a different magnitude altogether…Over the last three to four decades, between four and five million migrants (roughly the population of Ireland) have arrived. Many have no right to remain”.

He cited the involvement of Afghans in suicide bombings as part of the reason for its move, and said Afghans working on the black market “depress wages for legitimate workers”.

“Our painstaking repatriation programme has attracted predictable criticism from those who do not understand the complex history of the problem — or the extra­ordinary efforts that have been made to avoid forcible deportations. Misinformation and unfounded allegations abound, especially on social media,” he wrote.

He called on the West to take greater responsibility for Afghan refugees from the Taliban. “More than 40,000 in Pakistan are awaiting evacuation to the West,” he said.

He also pointed to “the abrupt withdrawal of Wes­tern allies from Afghanistan in Aug 2021” which he said “prompted a whole new influx of refugees to Pakistan”.

Kamal Alam, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in London, told Dawn, “The UK has no official view on the Pakistan policy, as with an extreme policy on migration and refugees itself UK is in no position to preach to the Pakistanis.

“Perhaps Kakar felt the need to write in the paper because Pakistan suffers from the orphaned or adopted child syndrome where it must please the West even though the West didn’t necessarily ask for it.”

Mr Alam criticised the UK government, saying more than 20,000 Afghans that were vetted and approved by the MOD have been delayed for over two years by first Priti Patel and now Suvella and Rishi. “This despite several high-profile British generals raising the alarms of betraying Afghans who fought by the army now to be surrendered to the Taliban.”

Commenting on PM Kakar’s stance, Sir William Patey, former British Ambassador to Afghanistan, told Dawn: “Pakistan is looking after its own interest, but it is a bit rich of Pakistan to try and expel refugees who are trying to flee Taliban rule, when for years they hosted Taliban refugees. The Brits are silent because they cannot be hypocritical and criticise Pakistan when they want to deport their own refugees.”

“They are also embarrassed because some of those being turned away by Pakistan qualify for UK settlement, which the government promised, but backtracked on.”

Meanwhile, PM Kakar returned to Quetta on Monday night after a visit to Kuwait, where he offered condolences over the demise of His Highness Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Kakar, while meeting the new Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, offered sincerest and heartfelt condolences on behalf of himself, the leadership, government and the people of Pakistan.

He was quoted as saying: “Pakistani nation stands united with our Kuwaiti brothers in this time of sorrow and grief.”

A senior PMO official told Dawn the PM was scheduled to visit to Quetta on Monday, but his official engagements were rescheduled due to his visit to Kuwait.

The prime minister will now visit Quetta on Tuesday, where he is expected to inaugurate a fresh transmission of PTV Bolan and Hazarki (for the Hazara people).

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2023