Pakistan to share arrested immigrants data with Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to share the data of arrested illegal Afghan immigrants with the Afghanistan Embassy, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Pakistan has apprised the Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad about the terms of reference (ToRs) regarding the repatriation of illegally residing Afghan immigrants.

The high-ups of Islamabad police, the capital’s administration and the officers of the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees held a meeting with the officials of the Afghan Embassy.

The Afghan Embassy has assured maximum coordination with the visiting Pakistani officials. Both sides have agreed on the repatriation of illegal Afghan immigrants from Pakistan.

The visiting delegates vowed to provide facilities to those Afghan citizens who decided to voluntarily leave Pakistan. Moreover, the Pakistani high-ups assured to provide arrested illegal Afghan immigrants’ data with the embassy.

Pakistan has intensified crackdowns on illegally residing foreigners including Afghan immigrants due to a rise in terror attacks and drug smuggling.

The caretaker federal government on Tuesday set a November 1 deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country or else face deportation.

Earlier in the month, the National Apex Committee decided in principle to evict foreigners, illegally living in Pakistan.

Pakistan has recently seen a spike in terror attacks including in Mastung and Hangu. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Apex committee held with PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in the chair.

The meeting chaired by the caretaker premier was attended by COAS General Asim Munir, the chief ministers of four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

High-ranked security officials also attended the meeting. Sources said the security officials briefed the participants of the meeting about the recent terror incidents in Pakistan.

The meeting was also briefed about the steps being taken to control terrorism in Pakistan and action against illegal immigrants.

Sources said the meeting decided to set a deadline for the return of foreigners illegally living in Pakistan and after the passage of the deadline their property would be seized.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad following the apex committee meeting, the caretaker interior minister Sarfraz Bugti clarified that the immigrants have been given a deadline of November 1 to leave the country.

Bugti further said that a task force has also been constituted which will take action against illegal immigrants. “Pakistan is the only country permitting entry of people even without a passport,” the minister decried.

The interior minister further explained that the assets owned by illegal immigrants would be confiscated. He pointed out that a web portal is being established to report any illegal activity related to smuggling.

“The names of those who provide any information related to illegal activities would be kept secret,” Sarfraz Bugti elaborated.