PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is set to launch a province-wide crackdown against undocumented illegal Afghan nationals from November 1 following federal government directives asking illegal foreign residents to leave Pakistan before the deadline.
According to reports, the federal government has directed all undocumented foreign nationals to leave the country before November 1. Those who remain after the deadline could face legal action, arrest and deportation.
The planned action comes amid continued security concerns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where authorities have been dealing with terrorism and law-and-order challenges. It has been learnt that some militant activities in the province have links to Afghanistan and claims that Afghan nationals have supported such activities.
In this connection, KP has completed preparations for an operation against undocumented Afghan residents, as Adviser on Information Samar Haroon Bilour said such individuals would have to return to their country. Samar Haroon Bilour said undocumented Afghan nationals could no longer remain illegally in the province. She urged them to return to Afghanistan, obtain valid visas and come back through legal channels.
She said the rules governing the stay of foreign nationals had to be followed and that illegal residence would not be allowed.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also said the repatriation process was continuing and warned that Afghan nationals returning to Pakistan through illegal routes would not be allowed to re-enter the country.
He said the government had decided to take strict action against those who returned illegally after being sent back to Afghanistan. Senior police officials in Peshawar said preparations for the planned operation had been completed. They added that police stations had compiled data on undocumented Afghans at the local level.
According to the officials, around 500,000 undocumented Afghan nationals are currently living in KP. Police officials said high number of undocumented Afghans have been living in KP compared with other provinces, to what they described as a failure by the previous provincial government. They alleged that these policies had undermined security in the province and helped strengthen militant networks operating from Afghanistan.
The officials said special teams had been formed under the supervision of station house officers (SHOs) at police stations across the province. The teams will oversee and carry out operational activities as part of the planned crackdown from November 1.
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