Special teams to launch grand operation against undocumented foreigners

PESHAWAR: Special teams of the district administration and police have been constituted to launcha ‘grand operation’ against the undocumented Afghans in the provincial capital and other districts as the daily average of voluntary repatriation has dropped in the last one week.

An official said that over 222,164 Afghans have returned to their homeland via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since September 17. Out of these 218,481 returned through Torkham. They also included 108,721 children and 48,286 women.

The number of voluntary return was at its peak in the first week of November. However, the average number of those returning home via Torkham dropped to just around 2,500 a day in the last few days. On Friday the number of those returning via Torkham was 2,398.

“It was decided in a meeting to launch a grand operation against the undocumented foreigners for which special teams under the divisional SPs, assisted by DSPs, assistant commissioners and other staff have been constituted. The teams have been given lists of the families and individuals living without any documents,” spokesman for the Peshawar Police said on Friday night.

He said the special teams were briefed and tasked in a meeting jointly chaired by Deputy Commissioner of Peshawar Afaq Wazir and SSP Operations Kashif Aftab Abbasi to take a number of decisions on action against the undocumented foreigners. An official added these special teams will shift the undocumented foreigners to the transit point in Juma Khan Kilay on Nasir Bagh Road from where they will be sent back to their homeland.