Crackdown on illegal foreigners, power theft and begging rings to intensify

Decision follows a high-level security meeting chaired by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi


News Desk June 01, 2025
Photo: PTV

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Pakistan’s government will intensify operations targeting undocumented foreign nationals, electricity theft, and organised street begging, state broadcaster PTV reported on Saturday, citing the Interior Ministry.

The decision followed a high-level security meeting chaired by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi — the third such session under the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the Harden the State Committee. The meeting focused on enhancing inter-agency coordination to curb illicit activities posing a threat to internal stability.

Minister Naqvi stated that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) would enable real-time data verification at border exit points.

Read: Iran border to stay open 24/7 during Muharram, Arbaeen

He also urged strict implementation of the “One Document Regime” and proposed declaring street begging a non-bailable offence, calling the so-called begging mafia a blot on the country’s reputation.

Support is also being extended to the Ministry of Energy to combat power theft, which has seen Rs. 142 billion recovered in joint efforts with provincial administrations, a ministry official reported.

More than 250 intelligence-based operations are now being conducted daily across the country, targeting various forms of organised illegality.

The session also reviewed progress on anti-encroachment drives, digital fuel pump regulation, and the upcoming establishment of the Pakistan Port Authority.

Developments in the Gwadar City Safe City Project, including the construction of a protection wall and deployment of digital enforcement stations on the Indus River, were discussed.

Efforts to install an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) for highway surveillance and a new legal mechanism allowing customs officers and deputy commissioners to seal petrol stations selling illegal fuel were also outlined.

Among those in attendance were Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, Punjab Law Minister Sohaib Ahmed Bharti, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Advisor Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, and Gilgit-Baltistan’s Interior Minister.

Also present were top officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), and security agencies nationwide.

Read More: Begging abroad to be treated as terrorism

Last week, Minister Naqvi presided over a key meeting where decisive actions were approved against Pakistani nationals deported from other countries.

It was agreed that First Information Reports (FIRs) will be filed against all deportees, their passports will be revoked, and their names will be added to the Passport Control List for a duration of five years.

Highlighting the damage caused to the country’s global standing, Minister Naqvi stated that deportees have become a source of diplomatic embarrassment and that the state will now adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward such individuals.

R: 2,239 Afghans deported via Torkham

Meanwhile, Pakistan has continued deporting Afghan refugees as part of a broader campaign targeting illegal residency. In addition to deportations at the border, enforcement actions have been stepped up in urban centres.

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