Illegal stay: Over 200 Afghan seminary students held

HARIPUR: Police on Monday detained over 200 seminary students from an Afghan refugee camp situated on the outskirts of Haripur. The detained students did not have proof of registration (PoR) cards mandatory for the legal stay of Afghan refugees, police said. Khalabat Township police acting on a report about the suspected presence of several unregistered refugees at a seminary raided Shamsul Madaaris in Afghan Refugee Camp-15 and arrested the in charge of the seminary Maulana Rehmatullah and his 200 students. They were all shifted to Khalabat Township police station. During the verification none of the students, according to police, could produce PoR cards issued by UNHCR. The unregistered Afghan students will face criminal charges under 14 Foreigners Act.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2014.