46 Afghans arrested for illegally living in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: As many as 46 Afghan nationals were arrested for illegally residing in the provincial capital after police launched a campaign to arrest and deport those who are having any connection with criminal groups, officials told The News.

The held Afghans neither had passports nor the proof of registration cards issued to the refugees to legalise their stay in Pakistan.

“These Afghan nationals were arrested after reports of their involvement in criminal activities,” Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Qazi Jamilur Rehman told The News.

A source said that apart from millions of refugees and those who visit Pakistan on visas, there are a large number of Afghan nationals living in the country who do not possess documents. There were scores of families which have acquired Pakistani computerised national identity cards.

A police official said on Tuesday that 46 Afghans who did not have legal documents would be produced before the court and deported to Afghanistan.

“During the last three days, 16 Afghans who were illegally living in Peshawar were arrested from the Cantt Circle, 10 from rural, nine from city and eight from Saddar circle,” said the official.

He said that cases were registered against the arrested persons under the Foreigners Act.

In recent years, the police launched a campaign to arrest all those Afghans who were living in Pakistan without valid documents.

As many as 4139 cases were lodged and 7,872 Afghans who were illegally residing were arrested in the provincial capital only during the seven months of 2016. Police had also arrested 11 Afghan nationals for having fake Pakistani computerized national identity cards (CNICs).

Thousands of well-off Afghan families live in Hayatabad, Faqirabad, Paharipura, Tehkal, University Town, Kohat Road and other areas.

Only the Hayatabad police station had rounded up 1,133 Afghan nationals for staying in Peshawar without the POR cards for the registered refugees or any travel documents to legalize their stay in 2016.

Besides, 883 Afghans were arrested from the limits of the Pishtakhara Police Station, 550 from Paharipura, 479 from Faqirabad, 457 from Sarband, 373 Nasir Bagh, 360 from Tehkal, 286 Badaber, 259 from Bhanamari and 248 from the jurisdiction of the Kabuli Police Station. The action across the province and the country, however, halted after the cops were directed not to go after the Afghan nationals, with or without documents.