Link to article: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistani-minister-defends-decision-expel-afghans-2023-10-06/
Pakistan released a statement on October 31st, stating that Pakistan would deport all illegal immigrants that did not leave by November 1st. Minister Bugti stated that there’s an estimated 1.73 million Afghan refugees with no documentation currently residing in Pakistan. She claimed that the decision was made to protect Pakistan’s safety as a result of the recent Islamist militant attacks and suicide bombings, the majority of which believed to have been carried out by Afghan nationalists. The Taliban responded to the statement, declaring that it was unacceptable to force out Afghan refugees. Pakistan has had rising tensions with Taliban recently over accusations that Islamists from the Afghan territory have been fighting the Pakistani state and the Taliban has continued to deny the claims.
Pakistan has had good relations with the Taliban in the past, viewing them as the most fit choice to rule Afghanistan. But now relationships between them may be tense due to the accusations about the Taliban not supporting the Pakistani state and the new statement announcing Pakistan’s plans to repatriate illegal Afghan immigrants. To expel such a large part of the Pakistan population may pose issues and have drastic effects on Afghanistan, which is currently facing a humanitarian crisis and may leave thousands of people displaced. A significant number of Afghan refugees have lived in Pakistan ever since the invasion of Kabul by the Soviets in 1979. There were also many Afghan immigrants in Pakistan due to the Afghan war, which the United States pulled out of and allowed the Taliban to take over. As a result of this, Pakistan had to make peace with the Taliban who shares a large border with them. The Khyber Pass, a significant trade route, is also found between Afghanistan and Pakistan which could be affected if tensions were to grow between them.
Pakistan’s deportation of illegal immigrants relates to class by illustrating the importance the balance states have in international affairs in their dealings with other countries where they want to let refugees come in and seek refugee while also knowing when to prioritize themselves and protect their own homeland security. Pakistan chose to deport illegal immigrants because they want to focus on their own security but by doing this they may hurt their relationship with surrounding areas and displace many people so it’s a trade off. Universalist theory can also apply to this event because some when analyzing it may believe that immigrants should be allowed to take refuge in other countries, even without proper documentation, to escape from persecution or warfare. On the other hand a Relativist might argue that a country should do whatever it needs to in order to protect itself and that there are no moral principles that apply to all people. A Pragmatist approach would be weighing the consequences of deporting all illegal immigrants and the consequences of taking no action and then making a decision from there.