PESHAWAR, May 25: The district administration on Friday ordered police to crack down on Afghan nationals illegally living in the provincial capital at the expiry of the one-month deadline for their voluntary return.
District coordination officer, Peshawar, Siraj Ahmad Khan issued the orders under Section 188 and 14 Foreign Act,according to a statement issued here. According to the statement, Afghan refugees living in Peshawar without legal documents will be repatriated via Torkham checkpost.
The DCO asked the senior superintendent of police (operations) to maintain a liaison with the political administration of Khyber Agency to take measures at main entry points along the border to stop reentry of deported Afghans.
Section 144 has already been imposed in the city banning the movement of unregistered Afghan nationals.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had decided to expel Afghan refugees without legal documents from the province and directed the relevant authorities to begin the drive from Peshawar.
In light of a cabinet decision, the DCO set a one-month deadline ending on May 25 for the ‘undocumented’ Afghan nationals to voluntarily leave Peshawar to avoid action.
“The deadline has expired and police have powers to legal take action under Section 188 and 14 Foreign Act,” said the statement.
Though the government has no consolidated data about Afghan refugees living in Peshawar, local officials put the number at around 400,000.
An official said the federal and provincial governments had already turned down the Afghan government’s request to show leniency and withdraw the deadline.
He said crackdown would be confined to illegal Afghan nationals and those with registration cards would not be disturbed at all.
The official said the Afghan government had been assured that Pakistan would respect tripartite agreement and police would take action against aliens, including Afghan refugees without legal documents to live in the province.
“The crackdown will not affect registered Afghan nationals, who under the agreement can stay in Pakistan by the end of December 2012,” the official said.
Around 1.7 million registered Afghan refugees are residing in Pakistan according to the agreement signed by Islamabad, Kabul and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2009.
The official said the provincial home and tribal affairs department would monitor operation against unregistered Afghan nationals and asked the district administration to make a comprehensive plan before launching the operation.
According to him, initially, the administration should begin action in those areas where Afghan refugees had good concentration and in case of success, it should be extended to other areas.
Meanwhile, provincial home and tribal affairs secretary Mohammad Azam Khan said a report about the crackdown progress would be submitted to the provincial cabinet on quarterly basis for examination and guidance.
He, however, expressed dissatisfaction over the plan made police and the district administration for eviction of Afghan nationals without valid legal documents.
