Mahmood Khan Achakzai calls for granting Afghan citizenship to Pashtuns

ISLAMABAD – Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a well-known Pashtun politician in Pakistan, has said that residents of Pashtun-populated areas should have the opportunity to obtain Afghan citizenship and enjoy this right.

Achakzai emphasized in his speech that millions of people in Pakistan have dual or multiple citizenships and, in his opinion, Pashtuns should also be able to obtain Afghan citizenship along with Pakistani citizenship.

Referring to the historical, cultural and social ties between the people on both sides of the border, he stated that the fate of Afghanistan and Pakistan is intertwined and developments in each of these countries directly affect the other.

The Pakistani politician also warned about the consequences of instability in Afghanistan, saying that any damage or crisis in Afghanistan could affect the security and stability of neighboring countries, including Pakistan and Iran.

Achakzai went on to criticize policies that he said were based on the idea of ​​weakening or collapsing Afghanistan, and emphasized that Afghanistan’s stability and progress are in the interest of all countries in the region.

His remarks come at a time when the process of forced deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan continues and this issue has become one of the important axes of political and social debate in the two countries.