13 hours Ago By Mohammad Asem
PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Amid an ongoing crackdown on illegal migrants, Pakistani security forces have rounded up and deported hundreds of Afghan citizens, officials say. More than 510 Afghans, including women and children, have been repatriated through the Torkham crossing over the past three days and scores through the Friendship Gate in Chaman, as well as Angoor Adda. Both registered and undocumented foreigners residing illegally in Pakistan were being deported in the second phase of the repatriation drive, said a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) official.
Before being sent to their homeland, refugees, including 193 Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, were transported to a transit camp in Landikotal, where they underwent necessary procedures. Amid heightened security, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and immigration officials verified the identities of the deportees at the camp. In compliance with federal directives, police rounded up more than 50 Afghan nationals and moved them to a refugee camp on Friday night.
More than 273 Afghans with their national citizenship cards were shifted to temporary holding centres in Punjab’s Jhelum district. Elsewhere in the province, 35 Afghan nationals were detained in the Pathan Colony area of Jhang. Ninety-six Afghans are living illegally in the area.
As many as 249 illegal Afghans voluntarily left the Chiniot district of Punjab for their country on Friday, local officials said. In Sindh province, the ‘forced repatriation’ of an estimated 16,138 ACC holders from Karachi began yesterday. Over 150 Afghans have been detained in the port city.
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