Daily Times

The grass always gets trampled when mighty elephants fight. Therefore, one may feel the pain of 1.7 million Afghan refugees told to leave Pakistani pastures because normalcy had returned to their war-ravaged homeland but cannot criticize a state for prioritising its own security above others.

Given months of heightened tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan as all cries for help to put an end to under-the-table support for the TTP repeatedly fell on deaf ears, can Islamabad be blamed for trying to restore the status quo? The recent attack on the Chitran border region and heated incursions in Balochistan once again emphasised the role of Afghan nationals in the militant outfit’s framework.

Hollow lipservice by Kabul has not done anything whatsoever to prove its innocence amid swirling images of their footsoldiers crossing the border or TTP commanders in Pakistan branding weapons left by the American troops.

As one of the world’s largest refugee host countries that has experienced multiple influxes of Afghan refugees, Pakistan has gone well beyond its duty towards a bledding neighbour. However, this hospitality cannot and should not be mistaken as an open invitation to spread chaos and violence. According to a presser by Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti, the November 1 deadline only applies to those who have not registered with the Pakistani authorities. There is increasing apprehension against forced deportation because there does not exist a state or its basic institutions to offer protection in Afghanistan. Pillaged by a militant group and cut off from the rest of the world, Kabul languishes as a pariah and there’s no telling what horrors await those who head back.

Perhaps, Pakistan can revisit its approach and devise an inclusive nation-building project. Investing in intelligence resources, they may distinguish between ordinary people with a penchant for peace and violence-hardened extremists who seek to fuel flames of war and destruction. *