The EURA

The status of Pakistani migrants entering the European Union without documented authorisation has long been a bone of contention. The EU, in the last few years, has been strictly following a policy of distinguishing between those who are refugees and those seeking economic migration. Economic migrants are deported. The problem is that many of these migrants do not carry any documentation and are hunted by human smugglers, often ending up in a no-man’s land where neither the EU nor Pakistan is willing to take them in. This is exactly what happened last December, when over 50 people deported from Greece to Pakistan were sent back because there was no proof they were from Pakistan. This led to the suspension of the EU Readmission Agreement, which has only now been reinstated after three months. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar was justifiably triumphant as he explained how the EU has agreed to all our demands, including providing us proof of the migrants’ citizenship, giving us advance notice of deportation and any terrorism or criminal suspicions that may linger over the migrants. Certainly, the EU has often used Pakistan and other countries as a dumping ground for people it does not want but against whom it cannot prove criminality. For Pakistan to demand the process be more opaque is only appropriate.

But the EURA agreement, while it may be good in the context outlined above, will not be of much help to the migrants. Pakistan, it must be kept in mind, is a war zone and many of those fleeing the tribal areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan face genuine threats to their lives. A simple lack of documentation will consign them to deportation and a return to danger. In Pakistan too they can expect harsh interrogation and a lack of concern about their fate. As the mood has turned ugly against immigrants in the EU, we should expect more undocumented immigrants will be returned to Pakistan – a country that sends the fifth most such immigrants to the region. The overwhelming majority of these immigrants, as also those from Syria and Iraq, are simply seeking an opportunity to build a safe life. This accord will do nothing for them but make their deportation from the EU a smoother process. As positive as it may be that our diplomatic relations with the EU seem to be on the up, these immigrants should also be our foremost concern.