Summary
Expelling illegal migrants will not solve Pakistan’s problems. Pakistan’s government plans to kick out all illegal migrants, possibly causing a huge human movement in South Asia. Earthquakes, the Soviet invasion, and the Taliban forced many Afghans to flee. Many were born in Pakistan. Telling them to leave would threaten their lives. It is unsure how this policy would be imposed. The motivation for this decision is Pakistanis believing that crimes are caused by Afghans, Afghans steal the jobs of natives. Pakistan’s economy declining is also a reason. Afghans are forced to sell their land at a very cheap price. General Munir has another reason, claiming that the Pakistani Talibans (i.e., Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)) get help from Afghans in Pakistan. Taliban crimes increased after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, and the government says many of the Taliban crimes in Pakistan are caused by Afghans. It’s shortsighted to think that this policy will stop the Afghan recruitment of the TTP and that the Afghan government will be cooperative. The original strategy was to nurture and finance the Taliban, but it does not seem to work. Expelling Afghans means that the Taliban will not agree to ease the attacks of the TTP. It will also make it more difficult for Pakistan to get help from the IMF.
Vocabulary
Abeyance: temporary inactivity, cessation, or suspension
Biddable: willing to do what is asked; obedient; tractable; docile
Scintilla: a minute particle; spark; trace
Po-faced: having an overly serious demeanor or attitude; humorless
Threadbare: having the nap worn off so as to lay the bare the thread of the warp and woof, as a fabric, garment, etc.
wearing threadbare clothes; shabby or poor