Peshawar:
As part of a repression against Afghan nationals who illegally obtained computerized national identity cards (CNIC), files were requested by the secretaries of 15 union councils in Peshawar.
Official sources have told L’Express PK Press Club that the scope of the investigation into the issuance of CNICs to refugees was extended. The authorities also identified Pakistani citizens who added these refugees to their family files.
The lists are finalized with Afghan refugees residing in various regions of the city, notably Khyber Bazar, Gunj, Namak Mandi, Jinnah Park Road, Dir Colony, Zargarabad, Peepal Mandi, Hayatabad and Afghan Colony, as well as those which run businesses on the local markets. A legal action should follow.
Sources have revealed that the secretaries of various union councils in Peshawar have been summoned for investigation with files, while surveys are also being launched concerning the identity of certain government employees.
It can be recalled that the government reaffirmed on April 30 as the final deadline for all foreign nationals residing in the country without valid visas leaving, the Ministry of the Interior interacting its repression within the framework of the repatriation plan of illegal foreigners.
This decision, in particular, targets the undocumented Afghan nationals, the Minister of State in the Interior Talal Chaudhry announcing the renewed push on Friday at a press conference in Islamabad.
“Pakistan has shown unequaled hospitality for decades, but time has strictly applied our immigration laws,” said Chaudhry.
His declaration came before the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar in Kabul, where a high-level Pakistani delegation had discussions with the Afghan government.
The government had initially set a deadline of March 31 for Afghan citizens without legal documents or hold of Afghan citizen cards to return voluntarily. This deadline was then extended until April 30.
Since the beginning of April, more than 84,800 Afghan nationals have been repatriated, according to Chaudhry. He said that the process is managed in a “legal, organized and human” manner, with the coordination of the Afghan authorities to ensure a smooth transition.
Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees over the past 40 years, but currently more than 2.1 million, mainly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and other provinces.
Officials cite the increase in national security threats as well as the reason for repression. More than 1,600 people were killed in attacks last year, almost half of them of the security personnel.
Chaudhry also warned of strict action against Pakistani providing accommodation, jobs or other services to undocumented foreigners. “If someone gives a store, a house or any type of space to an illegal foreigner, he will be held responsible under the law,” he said.
He also revealed information suggesting that certain weapons left by American forces in Afghanistan have been in the hands of terrorists, representing a serious regional threat. “Our policy is not motivated by hostility but by the need to respect the law, to ensure public security and to protect national interests,” he said.
