Pakistan has ordered all illegal immigrants to leave the country by 01 November or be forcefully deported by law enforcement agencies (LEAs). The order comes after the caretaker Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, and top civil and military leaders met for a discussion in Islamabad. It was revealed that 14 out of 24 attacks, suicide bombings to be precise, were conducted by Afghans. In a committee meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) it was decided that such a step was necessary in an approach to re-establish and maintain law and order across Pakistan. 

Reason Behind The Policy and Explanation

According to the caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti ,“the most important thing that was decided was that the welfare and security of a Pakistani. These factors are most important over any country or its policy. The first decision taken is about our illegal immigrants who are living in Pakistan through illegal means. We have given them a deadline of Nov 1 to willingly return to their countries and if they don’t, all LEAs of the state and provinces will deport them.”

Bugti further expanded on the decision and elaborated that the same deadline is applicable for entry into the country for those arriving without a passport or visa. Simply meaning that, visitors/travellers will not be able to enter Pakistan without valid documents post the deadline. This was taken into account after considering the number of unregistered illegal Afghans living in Pakistan (approximately 1.73 million).  Pakistani media reports reveal that around 4.4 million Afghan refugees are currently residing in Pakistan. 

It is important to note that, e-tazkiras (Electronic Afghan Identity cards) would be accepted from 10 -31 October after this time period the aforementioned policy will be applied. 

Task Force Established

The Interior Minister has already created a task force to kick-start the operation. The main aim of this force will be to monitor and filter out illegal businesses as well as properties owned specifically by illegal immigrants. These will also include businesses managed in collaboration with Pakistani nationals. 

The Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said, “(Pakistan’s) intelligence agencies and LEAs will find (the illegal immigrants) and the authorities will seize those properties and businesses. The Pakistanis involved in this facilitation will be sentenced as per the law.”

Crackdowns on illegal identity cards and passports will be legal, if initiated by the task force under any circumstances. The government is also planning to use DNA testing to single out residents holding Pakistani identity cards, to figure out whether or not they are Pakistani nationals. Furthermore, there will be checkpoints setup to control and detect smuggling and hoarding by illegal actors. Lastly, a universal helpline number accompanied with a web portal will be launched to encourage residents to give information on illegal immigrants or any illicit practice while maintaining their anonymity. 

Foreigners Living In Pakistan Also Targeted 

Apart from zeroing in on illegal immigrants, the caretaker government also has some plans for foreigners living in the country. Around 1.1 million of them, living illegally in Pakistan, will be evicted due to their involvement in funding and facilitating terrorists.  This will be carried out in three phases. The first phase will focus on illegal residents, the second on those with Afghan citizenship, finally the third on residents with proof of residence cards. 

Afghan Taliban’s Reaction

There has been no proper response received from Kabul regarding the launch of this policy. The Afghan Taliban, as always, continues to deny accusations of their territory being a sanctuary for militant activities. What’s more, they’ve pushed the blame onto Pakistan and its security structure, calling it ‘a domestic issue’. 

This development follows the deadly suicide blast in Mastung district of Balochistan on 29 September. Around 60 people were killed and more than 100 were injured. While no group has claimed responsibility of the attack, Pakistani security authorities are of the view that Afghan nationals or soil has been reportedly utilized. Hence, there is a need to ‘strengthen counter-terrorism departments’ as soon as possible. 

Sitata is monitoring the situation and providing necessary updates through our safety alerts. Download the app to stay informed about any events that may disrupt your travel. 

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