Action against undocumented foreigners intensified

PESHAWAR: Authorities have deported 4,347 undocumented Afghans via the Torkham border crossing as special teams have accelerated actions against foreigners who do not possess any documents.

Police and district administration had constituted special teams at the divisional level to check documents of foreigners in their areas. Documents of Afghan traders, vendors and commuters were being checked and those who failed to produce Proof of Registration (POR) cards or Afghan Citizen Cards were shifted to the holding point on Nasir Bagh Road for deportation via Torkham.

Police teams conducted raids in different villages, suburbs and urban areas and checked documents of people at their houses, shops and other places. Documents are also being checked at the checking points of police.

An official said that over 1,200 undocumented Afghans were shifted to the transit point in Peshawar since the grand operation was launched last week. They were deported via Torkham the same day.

From other areas, 860 people were received from Punjab, 25 from AJK and 91 from Islamabad in the last several days who were deported. Over 2,29000 Afghans returned via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since September 17 out of which over 4,300 were deported.

A former member of the National Assembly and chairman National Democratic Movement Mohsin Dawar and former Senator Farhatullah Babar approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the deportation of Afghans.

“We appeared before Justice Yahya Afridi for the Chamber Appeal against the Registrar’s objection to our petition against the mass deportation of the Afghan refugees. Our appeal has been accepted and the petition will be heard by the Supreme Court,” Mohsin tweeted.

An increase in the return of Afghan families started after the government set October 31 as the deadline for the voluntary return of those foreigners who do not possess any kind of document to justify their stay in the country. There are over one million Afghans in KP with PoR cards and Afghan Citizen Cards. According to the data there are 776,395 PoR card and just over 300,000 ACC card holders living in KP.