Citizenship Issues Faced by Pakistan’s Pakhtuns Community due to the Presence of Refugees from Afghanistan

Abstract

This article clarifies the ambiguities related to the citizenship/ nationality of the Pakhtun community in Pakistan from the historical and legal perspective. Since the arrival of refugees from Afghanistan who are predominantly Pakhtuns, the Pakhtun nationals/citizens of Pakistan are fighting on two fronts simultaneously: one to accommodate and facilitate the vulnerable refugees who have lost almost everything at their motherland; and second to fights for equality in the country which is guaranteed under the Constitution of Pakistan. The article explain from the historical and legal context, the relationship of the Pakhtuns with their fellow Afghans, who have taken refuge in their land and with Pakistan in who’s jurisdiction their territory falls due to which they are their citizens by default