Single document policy: Minister says entry to Pakistan on valid visa only

PESHAWAR: Caretaker Minister for Information and Public Relations Barrister Feroze Jamal Shah Kakakhel on Tuesday announced a comprehensive strategy to address the issue of illegal foreigners living in the province.

Speaking at a press conference here, he expressed the government’s commitment to manage the situation effectively. Additional Chief Secretary Home Abid Majeed and other senior officials were also present.

Under this plan, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government was committed to facilitating the voluntary departure of illegal foreigners, he said. He added that those who were willing to leave Pakistan would be facilitated and given easy access to the border. The individuals, who did not depart voluntarily, would be relocated to designated processing zones and subsequently deported, the minister added.

Over 82,000 illegal residents have already voluntarily left the country, with a figure of 11,000 individuals returning to their respective nations just yesterday, he added. Additionally, 52,000 illegal residents had been identified and mapped in various districts across the province, he said. The minister said that a Central Control Room had been established within the Home Department by employing integrated procedures to monitor and coordinate efforts to oversee this operation.

This control room serves as a crucial liaison between provinces, districts, and government departments, ensuring that illegal residents were repatriated in an orderly manner, he added. The minister emphasized that the repatriation of illegal immigrants would be conducted in three phases. These individuals will be temporarily housed in designated processing zones from where they will be deported to their home countries. The plan designates Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Friday and Saturday for Punjab, and Wednesday and Thursday for Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

He said that from November 1 the federal government would initiate a single document policy, welcoming those entering Pakistan only on a passport with a valid visa. In reply to various questions, the minister said that the primary objective of the caretaker government was the safety of citizens, adding that measures had been taken to foster a peaceful environment and economic stability.

The efforts were made to curb smuggling, extortion, the use of illegal SIM cards, and profiteering, which yielded positive results and contributed to economic stability of the country, he said.