ISLAMABAD: The capital police are initiating legal course against the Afghans nationals arrested during the recent PTI’s protest sources told Dawn on Monday.

A senior police officer told Dawn that during the PTI’s protest 130 Afghan nationals were arrested by the capital police, including those staying in Pakistan illegally. Besides, some of them also found involved in criminal activities, he added.

The illegal Afghan immigrants will be deported. However, they will face trials in the court if they are found involved in criminal activities.

He said the police will approach the Afghan embassy, Pakistan Foreign Office, FIA Immigration, Nadra and UNHCR to collect data of legal Afghan immigrants.

To a question, the police officer said separate teams of Special Branch, Counter Terrorism Department will be tasked to identify illegal Afghan immigrants in capital through human intelligence.

He said in this regard targeted combing and search operation would also be conducted in slums, outskirts and commercial centres.

The officer further said only Afghans and Indian are bound to get themselves registered with police shortly after arrival. There are thousands of Afghans residing in capital and had themselves registered with the interior ministry and police.

Most of the families used the capital as transit point to fly to European, Western and Middle Eastern countries, he said. Besides, the Afghan nationals also come to Islamabad for medical treatment.

Another police officer told Dawn that Pakistan is not a signatory to 1951 Geneva Convention, but welcome Afghan refugees on humanitarian grounds. There are 44 refugee camps for Afghan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, nine in Baluchistan and one in Punjab, but they moved to urban areas including Islamabad too and bought properties here. Under the refugee documents, refugees having proper registration, cannot buy property, let alone illegal immigrants.

Last year, the capital police gave a deadline to Afghans to shift to refugees’ camp and the authority concerned also demolished two illegal Afghan settlements, one each at Margalla Town and H-9, he said.

E-tagging of foreigners residing in capital legally and with proper traveling documents has also been completed and a data in this regard was also made by a unit of Counter Terrorism Department.

At a news conference last month, IGP Islamabad Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi said non-Pakistani, including Afghans, who create law and order, cannot be allowed to stay in Islamabad.

A deadline of Dec 31 was issued to Afghans to get security clearance and obtain NOC (no Objection Certificate) from capital administration for staying in capital.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2024