New Delhi: In a stunning demographic twist, Pakistan’s Rohingya population has skyrocketed overnight by a staggering 250,000 – not through fresh migration, but via a controversial “nationality swap” deal reportedly brokered with Saudi Arabia.
According to explosive revelations, Riyadh agreed to absorb over 250,000 Pakistani nationals living illegally in the Kingdom. This was in exchange for granting citizenship to an equal number of Rohingya refugees currently stranded in Bangladesh.
The move instantly transformed these stateless Rohingyas into Pakistani citizens on paper, ballooning the official count from around 200,000 to nearly half a million.
Sources claim the secret arrangement was finalised during high-level talks, aimed at easing Saudi Arabia’s burden of undocumented workers while helping Pakistan secure remittances and diplomatic leverage. Critics, however, slam it as a cynical trade in human lives. They warn of heightened communal tensions in a country already grappling with Afghan refugees and internal displacements.
Rights groups have condemned the deal, arguing that Rohingyas – victims of Myanmar’s genocide – deserve genuine asylum, not a pawn-like relocation. Bangladesh, hosting over a million Rohingyas, expressed shock, fearing this precedent could derail repatriation efforts.
As details emerge, questions swirl: Is this pragmatic diplomacy or a dangerous gamble with vulnerable lives in South Asia’s volatile refugee crisis?