The Peshawar High Court's decision to dispose of more than 100 petitions filed by Afghan nationals seeking certificates of Pakistani citizenship serves as a crucial reminder that such matters must proceed strictly according to law. Migration, repatriation and deportation are never easy. Families are built, roots are established and lives become entangled across borders and generations. No serious state can treat such matters casually. But difficult decisions do not become unnecessary simply because they are painful. The principles behind them must be remembered precisely when the natural human tendency towards leniency and mercy begins to dilute the resolve of the state.
Legal Standards Must Prevail
Those who have legitimate claims must be allowed to pursue them through proper legal channels. Those whose claims do not meet the legal test cannot be allowed to use uncertainty, delay or administrative confusion as a substitute for citizenship. Pakistan has carried this burden for decades, hosting millions in the spirit of brotherly hospitality, often at great economic and social cost. However, Pakistan is not an economic powerhouse with unlimited capacity. Its schools, hospitals, labour markets, public services and security systems are already under immense strain. A state that cannot look after its own citizens cannot be expected to absorb an open-ended refugee burden forever.
Terrorism Link Adds Urgency
The link with terrorism has made the decision all the more exigent. Pakistan has paid in blood for years as instability from across the border has spilled into its cities, towns and tribal districts. Border control is not cruelty. Verification is not persecution. Repatriation, when carried out under law, is not an act of hostility. It is the basic duty of a sovereign state.
Humane Process Required
This does not mean the process should be arbitrary or inhuman. Nadra and other authorities must provide written acknowledgments, clear decisions and accessible grievance mechanisms. Genuine cases must be heard. Families must not be treated with needless humiliation. But the larger policy must not be abandoned. Pakistan must stay firm on this difficult path.
