Capital bans utilities for illegal foreigners

The federal capital and its four adjoining districts — Rawalpindi, Attock, Murree and Haripur — have imposed a ban on providing electricity and all other basic utilities to all foreigners residing illegally, including Afghan nationals.

They have also been prohibited from obtaining employment or renting houses and shops, while the process of blocking their mobile SIM cards has begun.

The district administration and police have completed a door-to-door survey of more than 25,000 households.

A meeting of the special task force established to take action against illegally residing foreign nationals was held on Wednesday at the CDA Headquarters, chaired by Chief Commissioner Islamabad and CDA Chairman, Muhammad Ali Randhawa.

Participants included Islamabad Police IG Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, and administrative and police officials from Rawalpindi, Attock, Haripur and Murree via Zoom, along with representatives from the Ministry of Interior, NADRA, PTA and other relevant departments. The meeting reviewed progress made so far and discussed the strategy ahead.

Officials briefed the Chief Commissioner that the repatriation of illegal foreign residents from various districts is underway at an accelerated pace, with a majority returning voluntarily. Legal action is also being taken against landlords who have rented property to undocumented foreigners.

The Chief Commissioner instructed authorities to implement strict measures to halt the movement of illegal foreign nationals in adjoining areas. He further directed immediate steps to enforce the ban on providing electricity and other utilities to those residing unlawfully.

Randhawa emphasised that no accommodation or employment should be offered to undocumented foreigners and ordered that data from all districts be linked to the Ministry of Interior's central dashboard.

Islamabad IG Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi called for stringent measures to dismantle settlements of illegal residents and urged tough action against foreign nationals involved in obtaining medical treatment or identity documents using forged papers.

PTA officials briefed the meeting that the process of blocking the SIM cards of undocumented individuals is already in progress. Authorities were informed that door-to-door data collection in Islamabad is advancing rapidly to compile complete resident information, including identity card details and essential household records.