Pakistan to deport illegal Afghan immigrants released after completion of sentence

KARACHI: Local authorities have decided to deport illegally-settled Afghan nationals from the country following end of their sentences, according to documents of the Sindh Home Department seen by Geo News on Saturday.

Around 530 Afghans have been released after they completed their sentences in different jails across Sindh. All the released Afghan prisoners, according to documents, have completed their two-month-long sentences awarded by different courts.

Around 800 illegal Afghan immigrants are still behind bars in various Sindh jails. Police officers have been ordered to hold the prisoners in custody and take them to the Chaman border. The provincial home department has directed to also inform the Afghan Consulate in Karachi about the deportation of its nationals, the documents showed. According to the documents, around 169 men were released from the Hyderabad jail and 148 Afghan nationals were freed from the Karachi jail. Therefore, a total of 317 Afghan prisoners were let out from both jails combined. Forty-one children were released from Karachi and Hyderabad prisons' juvenile jails. From Karachi and Hyderabad women jails, 56 and 32 Afghan female prisoners were let go, respectively. At least 84 children were freed with their mothers who were imprisoned as illegal immigrants.