PESHAWAR: Not a single illegal alien has been arrested in any district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after the deadline expired as 147,949 documented and undocumented Afghans returned home via Torkham since September 17.
Authorities said they wanted the process to continue smoothly, so no action has been taken so far. At some points, police officers and people from different walks of life were seen providing food, water and juice to children, senior citizens, men and women returning home after living in the country for decades.
“As the voluntary repatriation proceeded smoothly, not a single undocumented Afghan was detained in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa despite the deadline,” Abid Majeed, Additional Chief Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, told The News.
The official said that 122 of the 361 undocumented foreigners detained under the Aliens Act 14 were repatriated because the courts issued deportation orders. Of these, 51 were repatriated on Wednesday, seven on Thursday and 64 on Friday.
According to official figures, 19,344 Afghans returned via Torkham on the last day, including those who chose to return despite having visas or PoR cards. The total figure has exceeded 147,949 since September 17.
The other 294 people returned from Angoor Adda border. The number of those returning voluntarily increased in the last few days of October, as time was about to expire.
Officials said different agencies have mapped 49,690 illegal aliens in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The authorities received 535 calls from the toll-free number 1700 regarding foreigners without documents. “Of these, 477 were for identification, 54 were for information, and 4 were for filing a complaint,” he said.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has set up a control room in the Ministry of Home Affairs, where officers from the district administration, police, agencies, Federal Investigation Agency, immigration and other departments will be present to monitor the repatriation process.
“The police, together with the district administration, will transport undocumented foreigners to waiting points where they will be taken to the Torkham border. Local police will escort vehicles carrying undocumented foreigners coming from other provinces to the waiting point in Landikotal, Senior Inspector of Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi told reporters.
According to the government, action will be taken against foreigners who do not have documents that will legalize their stay in Pakistan.
No action is taken against Afghans who have Proof of Registration cards, Afghan Citizen Cards and valid visas issued by UNHCR. Action is also planned against those who receive CNIC documents from Pakistan.
Relating to
news source (dailythepatriot.com)
