To check illegal cross-border entries: MOI directs provinces to establish joint check-posts

LAHORE: The Ministry of Interior (MOI) directed home secretaries of the four provinces, AJK and GBs to establish joint check-posts by police ad Rangers/ Frontier Corps for checking, identification and deportation of illegal foreign nationals to avoid any untoward incidents.

According to a letter available with The News, some foreign nationals are trying to illegally sneak into Pakistan through the Pak-Afghan border to escape Afghanistan. Most of them have shady pasts linked to various terrorist organisations/ transnational criminal gangs and can pose a serious challenge to internal security of the country. They are trying to move to hinterland and the urban centers to conduct terror strikes if not vigorously tackled through an integrated law enforcement plan.

The home departments were asked to evolve a mechanism of checking, identification and deportation of un-registered/ illegal foreign nationals along the western borders. It also directed for adopting short term strategy, to avoid untoward incidents.

The MOI directed home secretaries of AJK and GBs, Chief Commissioner ICT, Islamabad IGP of ICT, Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan KP, AJK an GB, DG Rangers Punjab, Sindh, IG FC KP (North, South) and Balochistan (North, South) to establish joint check-posts by police-Rangers/ Frontier Corps along inter provincial boundaries and other important entry/exit points to deport aliens through the nearest border crossing point.