Crackdown on illegal Afghans intensifies

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ISLAMABAD:

The federal government on Saturday stepped up its campaign to repatriate undocumented Afghan nationals after the deadline for their legal stay in Pakistan expired a day earlier, ordering the immediate arrest of all Afghan citizens residing in the country without valid visas.

Under the fresh directives, authorities have been instructed to detain every undocumented Afghan national found living in Pakistan.

Action will also be taken against individuals found providing shelter to, or renting property to, undocumented Afghan nationals as part of the intensified enforcement campaign.

Authorities have also been instructed to submit daily reports to the Ministry of Interior detailing the number of undocumented Afghan nationals arrested, the progress of enforcement operations, and the current status of those taken into custody.

According to officials, the Ministry of Interior had already written to the governments of the provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on June 28, directing them to accelerate action against undocumented Afghan nationals and ensure prompt implementation of the repatriation drive.