Cops to wear body cams during anti-aliens op

IGP says any person having legal document of residence will not be questioned

LAHORE:

Punjab Police teams engaged in eviction of the illegal immigrants from the province will be wearing body cams so that any sort of human rights violation could be curbed.

Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar said that like any other country, Pakistan too enjoyed the right to evict the illegal immigrants to protect their boundaries and comply by the law, rules and regulations. He said that they had been warned in prior by the state of Pakistan.

From Wednesday onwards, the eviction will be kick-started according to a comprehensive and well-coordinated policy.

He continued that their deportation outside the borders of Punjab will be carried in phase manner-district wise.

Dr Anwar asserted that any person having a legal document of his residence will not be questioned at all.

Punjab Police had complete data base and intelligence reports of the presence of migrants. Majority of them started their movement back to their country of origin themselves.

Read: Illegal aliens to be housed in camps till expulsion

He said the deportation process will be completed soon and no illegal immigrant onward will be able to enter the country and live here, he added.

The first step of deportation of the illegal immigrants has been started from Sargodha and Faisalabad.

The other districts in the province including Lahore have expedited the surveillance and monitoring of the hot spots.

In the provincial capital, Lahore Police has identified as localities near Saggian Bridge, Band Road, Shahdara, Farakhabad and few Khaima Bastiyan (makeshift/temporary residences) as the hotspots of the immigrants. Police is also engaged in search and sweep operations in these settlements to identify and keep an eye on any immigrants.

Meanwhile, they are also reiterating their warning to leave the country on their own or move to camps specified for them and get registered their families with the authorities. SSP Operations Ali Raza is supervising these efforts in the city.

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