ISLAMABAD: Immigrants illegally staying in Pakistan face action as deadline for voluntary return ended yesternight.
Deadline given by Pakistan government for illegal immigrants to leave the country voluntarily expired Tuesday night and the phased deportation plan is set to kick off with “full force”. Pakistan, reeling from an economic crisis and a deteriorating law and order situation, had asked all illegal immigrants to leave voluntarily before November 1 or face deportation.
It is to mention here that Pakistan is home to millions of Afghan migrants and refugees, of which about 1.7 million are undocumented. According to government estimates, more than 100,000 Afghan migrants have already left Pakistan since first week of October. More than 80 percent entered Afghanistan via the Torkham border in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, where the majority of Afghan migrants live.
Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti Tuesday directed Pakistani officials to be respectful with illegal immigrants while detaining them in holding centers after the expiry of the deadline.
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has collected entire data of undocumented immigrants in the country through geo-fencing and those who still tried to escape government’s amnesty would be caught from their hideouts.
The authorities have decided to immediately deport illegal immigrants after their arrest.
Pakistan defends repatriation
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the decision to deport the illegal immigrants residing in Pakistan was in line with the sovereign domestic laws and international principles. The statement came in response to the United Nations High Commissioner, who called on the Pakistani government to “suspend forcible returns of Afghan nationals before it is too late to avoid a human rights catastrophe”.
