THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘Thriving racket’ (June 21), which has failed to mention the actual reason for illegal migration to the Western world. Most of those who were on the Europe-bound boat which sank in Greek waters, were from Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt and Syria. All these countries seem to be fighting West’s war against the so-called terrorism.

The United States, Europe and Nato at large have been involved militarily in one way or the other in Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, causing the natives to flee. Today we see this refugee crisis with people of these countries, who happen to be the victims of the Western aggression, migrating illegally to Europe.

Egypt is kept in the shackles by the West to serve the occupiers of Palestine. The occupiers are from Europe and their presence in the Arabian peninsula has created the worst humanitarian crisis ever. The Arabs have been displaced by the very race that today cries ‘no more refugees’ in Europe, displaying their xenophobia and racism. One wonders why there is such an outcry against illegal migration in the West because the refugee problem was created by them, the Europeans.

Europe’s restrictive policies regarding refugees despite its enormous wealth is appalling, considering the fact that this wealth has been accumulated through extraction in and exploitation of colonised lands.

In our particular case, Pakistan was used by the West to fight its war, and forced to join the so-called search for ‘terrorists’ in Afghanistan. This created yet another disaster and refugee crisis by the West.

There was a huge influx of refugees from Afghanistan into Pakistan which created a phenomenal economic catastrophe for the country.

Pakistan has another war-monger luring around, India. New Delhi has been interfering with Pakistan’s affairs for decades, especially in Balochistan. Nothing will please India more than to see Pakistan in a constant state of chaos.

Chaos is also created, as the editorial rightly pointed out, by bickering between political parties with their endless misuse of religion to further their own agendas. This has left many Pakistanis frustrated, forcing them to leave their homeland in search of a better future even if turning to the West for a better life is the worst possible option for many.

Logically speaking, when the West is behind every refugee crisis, be it in Asia, the Middle East or Africa, refugees from the victim countries have every right to move to countries in the West, for the one who creates misery should pay the price for its crimes against humanity. Welcoming these refugees should be seen as a little price that West has to pay for its crimes.

Angabeen Ahmad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2023