Balochistan, K-P govts swing into action

Illegal immigrants rounded up, relocated to holding centres

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN/ LANDI KOTAL/ QUETTA:

Homecoming should be a joyous occasion, eagerly anticipated by many. However, for Afghan families returning from Pakistan, the homeland they are going back to is marked by poverty, hunger, and unemployment. Pakistan, where they were born and raised, is their true home. Afghanistan, while it may be their ancestral homeland, offers no guarantee of providing even two square meals for their children and spouses. Despite these hardships, they have no choice but to return and start their lives anew.

During the month of October, a total of 5,265 families, comprising 104,085 individuals, entered Afghanistan from Pakistan via the Torkham crossing. Afghan Commissionerate officials told The Express Tribune that a crackdown against illegal Afghan residents began on Wednesday, with those apprehended being brought to holding centers in Landi Kotal. Here, their information is recorded, and they are subsequently repatriated.

An efficient one-window system, involving customs, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Afghan Commissionerate, has been established to facilitate the clearance and deportation process.

Read: Hundreds rounded up as crackdown on illegal aliens begin

Media personnel were prohibited from entering the holding center in Landi Kotal by security forces.

Additionally, deportations have been ongoing through the Angor Adda border point in South Waziristan, with approximately 1,209 refugees sent back in the last 15 days. Those who remain in Pakistan illegally after the October 31 deadline will face arrests and forced deportations, as announced by the deputy commissioner of South Waziristan.

Stringent action will be taken against those who have obtained Pakistani Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) illegally.

The Balochistan government has also initiated a crackdown against illegal immigrants, resulting in the detention of over 400 individuals by the police and levies force following the deadline’s expiration. The majority of these illegal immigrants were apprehended in Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.

According to a senior police official, most of the illegal immigrants are Afghan nationals. Caretaker Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai stated during a press conference that the crackdown against illegal immigrants will intensify throughout the province.

He also predicted an increase in the number of Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan in the coming days due to the ongoing crackdown.

Commissioner of Quetta Division, Hamza Shafqaat, mentioned that six holding sites have been established in Quetta to temporarily house illegal immigrants before their repatriation. These sites aim to facilitate the immigrants and ensure their timely return.

Achakzai clarified that the crackdown is not targeting a specific country but rather all illegal immigrants, and it is not meant for political point-scoring.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2023.