Worrying signs: 3,400 Pakistanis give up nationality in five years

[military lover]

More than 3,400 Pakistani citizens have renounced their nationality in the last five years after adopting the citizenship of other countries while another 1,500 want to give up their association with the homeland.

Around 251 Pakistanis have adopted the nationality of Canada, 171 of the United States, 145 of Australia, 121 of New Zealand, 75 of Norway while 54 chose to become citizens of Denmark. The rest went for the citizenship of other countries in Europe and the Middle East, immigration officials told The Express Tribune.

“The 3,400 cases of renunciation of Pakistani nationality have been successfully handled,” writes Immigration & Passport Director-General Muhammad Safdar in a progress report submitted to the interior ministry.

Around 1,534 applications of Pakistanis, who want to renounce their citizenship, are in process currently while 141 cases of citizenship registration pending for many years have been also decided.

The immigration officials said over 5,000 Afghan refugees had also applied for the citizenship of Pakistan. Another 117 applications from foreign women married to Pakistani nationals are being processed at regional passport offices across Pakistan.

“Afghan refugees’ applications are being considered,” a senior immigration officer said. “We have also contacted the top registration body accordingly.”

The applications have been referred to the departments concerned for verification and will be finalised after completion of the required aggregate stay in Pakistan.

The citizenship renunciation applications come despite Pakistan’s dual-nationality arrangements with 16 countries: the United Kingdom, Egypt, France, Jordan, Italy, Syria, Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland, Netherlands, Australia, United States, New Zealand, Sweden, Canada and Ireland.

Apart from these figures, the country produced over 26,000 registered asylum seekers last year – the highest number on record at the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Pakistan currently ranks sixth among the 44 industrialised countries with the most asylum seekers, according to the UNHCR.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USICS) and Department of Homeland Security data reveals that 4,113 asylum applications of Pakistanis were received between 2002 and 2014. Around 1,736 applications were approved, 115 were denied while 1,742 were “adjudicated referred”, which means cases that the USICS cannot approve.

“Such cases are referred to the federal immigration courts, where a judge makes the final determination on their eligibility,” Tim Counts, the USCIS spokesperson, had told The Express Tribune last year

 

[I.R.A]

Out of 180 or 200 million, 3400 people adopted other nationalities that too in 5 years time span. Are you nuts? How is it even close to worrying?

Most of our politicians have dual nationalities, assets, businesses and properties overseas, that does not worry you?

 

[military lover]

Out of 180 or 200 million, 3400 people adopted other nationalities that too in 5 years time span. Are you nuts? How is it even close to worrying?

Most of our politicians have dual nationalities, assets, businesses and properties overseas, that does not worry you?

they r leaving the motherland is it a not a worry

 

[SipahSalar]

This is worrying because of a phenomenon called Brain drain.
While out of a nation of 180 million, it may not look like much. But most of these are educated people who could have positively contributed to Pakistani society. Instead they chose to give that up for walmart and burger king.

 

[I.R.A]

they r leaving the motherland is it a not a worry

No.

 

[Ryuzaki]

3400 in 5 years is a very small number dude

 

[Jaanbaz]

This is worrying because of a phenomenon called Brain drain.
While out of a nation of 180 million, it may not look like much. But most of these are educated people who could have positively contributed to Pakistani society. Instead they chose to give that up for walmart and burger king.

Provide them safety they will return.

 

[I.R.A]

This is worrying because of a phenomenon called Brain drain.
While out of a nation of 180 million, it may not look like much. But most of these are educated people who could have positively contributed to Pakistani society. Instead they chose to give that up for walmart and burger king.

What do you want them to do here in Pakistan?

Laborers for Metro? Have we ever appreciated ideas, encouraged brilliant people? Afforded them respectable professions, jobs?

 

[SipahSalar]

Provide them safety they will return.

Is their safety more important than our safety? Life is in the hands of Allah, anyone can die today in a car crash or likewise.

 

[military lover]

What do you want them to do here in Pakistan?

Laborers for Metro? Have we ever appreciated ideas, encouraged brilliant people? Afforded them respectable professions, jobs?

yeah thats the problem nd this is the worry this is a small number but a big shame

 

[Armstrong]

Good riddance !

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Good riddance !

my thoughts exactly

 

[Jaanbaz]

Is their safety more important than our safety? Life is in the hands of Allah, anyone can die today in a car crash or likewise.

People have different circumstances. Sometimes its religious persecution or political. Some people from Pakistan comes running because they had a conflict with some powerful land grabbers who threatened their lives. Very easy to be patriotic while sitting in guarded and rich neighbourhoods, for once try living in lower middle class areas.

 

[I.R.A]

yeah thats the problem nd this is the worry this is a small number but a big shame

What big shame bahi sahab? Shame is on Pakistanis themselves who elect topi drama every time. Now they have sold themselves to another topi drama of dancing tabdeeli razakars.

I did not believe in evolution but after seeing Bhuttos evolving to Bhutto Zardari, I have started to believe now.

 

[Armstrong]

my thoughts exactly

If some Pakistani who was battered and bruised by the system decides to leave Pakistan as a heart-broken and angry person; I would sympathize with them. If they go a step further and don't dish heap fulls of dirt on the motherland - I'd respect them....tremendously so !

But if Pakistanis are jumping ship because they couldn't get hot water to wipe their arses 'cause the gas pressure wasn't satisfactory or that the power went out for the upteenth time and they couldn't update their status on facebook or that they found themselves inconvenienced by a system that was riddled with corruption, nepotism and mismanagement - I have nothing but contempt for them ! And Pakistan is better off without such sons and daughters who take out a bloody weighing scale to weigh the pros and cons of being a Pakistani instead of realizing that your relationship with your motherland isn't a rational construct....its an emotional construct - You don't give up on the people and the things you love just because at a certain point in time its not very convenient to continue loving them !

So good riddance !