LAHORE:
As the deadline given to illegal Afghan migrants to leave Pakistan is approaching, Punjab Police and other authorities have expedited the geo-tagging of illegal migrants. On October 3, Pakistan issued orders to the illegal migrants to leave Pakistan by October 31, otherwise strict action will be taken against them.
As Punjab Government-issued instructions trickled down to Punjab Police, IG Punjab Usman Anwar tasked field officers, Regional Police Officers (RPOs), District Police Officers (DPOs) and Special Branch to perform sophisticatedly and professionally.
Also read: ‘Over 2,000 illegal immigrants deported’
As the first step, surveys by the Punjab Police and other authorities were carried throughout the province. The data revealed that there are around 275,000 undocumented illegal Afghans living in Punjab. As many as 88,000 Afghans carried a citizen’s card with them and 186,000 has a Proof of Residence Card holders. Over 2,291 were marked as Afghan returned boys and put in the fourth schedules, while 541 have been released from Afghan jails.
In the second step, Afghan settlements and hotspots of illegal migrants were geo-tagged.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2023.
