KARACHI: Issuance of registration cards to aliens begins
KARACHI, June 4: The issuance of identity cards to aliens residing in Karachi started here on Tuesday with the handing over of the first five cards to Filipino and Bengali immigrants by the interior minister, Moinuddin Haider, at a ceremony held at the headquarters of the National Aliens Registration Authority.
The Filipino, a woman, was the first to receive her National Registration Card and was told by the minister that she can now work without fear and that the police will not harass her anymore.
Later, speaking on the occasion, Moinuddin Haider said that it will take a few years to register some 1.8 million immigrants living in Karachi alone.
He said that in view of the growing workload, two swift centres would soon start working in the city.
The minister pointed out that since the Afghans living here also have refugee status and ultimately they have to return to Afghanistan, they will not be registered in the first phase. He said that some 500,000 to 600,000 Afghans have already gone back.
He said that Nara started work from Karachi because most of the immigrants reside here, while NWFP and Balochistan are faced with the mounting pressure of Afghan refugees.
In Sindh, he said, there are illegal immigrants in areas such as Thatta, etc, and it has been decided to send mobile teams to these areas to get them registered.
Moinuddin Haider, who earlier reviewed the progress of Nara, said that so far the authority has registered 16,000 immigrants and if their children are also included, the number reaches 26,000.
He pointed out that besides Bengalis, the immigrants also include Burmese, Filipinos, Africans and Arabs.
He said that those issued IDs by Nara will have many advantages — they will not be harassed by police, get work permits and will be able to take up employment.
He said that the work permit will be renewed every year, but it is being considered to issue permits for 3 years during which the registered immigrants could also go to their respective countries on holidays and come back to rejoin their employment.
The minister said that the government has also reduced the registration fee from Rs5,000 to Rs2,500.
He made it clear that immigrants who fail to get themselves registered with Nara after the cut-off date would be prosecuted and jailed for 10 years, whereafter they will be deported at their own expense.
Similarly, he clarified that the employers of such immigrants who fail to have their employees registered as aliens would also face prosecution with a three-year conviction plus fine.
Moinuddin Haider said that the Sindh government has been asked to set up registration offices in areas where Bengalis and other immigrants are in concentration.
He said that the two swift offices will hopefully start work by the end of July this year.
Clarifying the position regarding illegal immigrants, he said that those who are residing here prior to Dec 16, 1971, are entitled for Pakistani citizenship. But they will have to give solid evidence to establish their claim either through rental receipts or electricity bills, etc.
He said that the three categories of immigrants who are entitled for Pakistani citizenship include those who were here before Dec 16, 1971; those who were in former East Pakistan prior to Dec 16, 1971 and those who were living in a third country but want to come to Pakistan.
Moinuddin Haider informed that a committee has been set up comprising DG Nara, Home Secretary, representatives of Passport Office, Nadra and Police Special Branch, besides the CPLC chief.
He said the committee will also have an elected representative of the City Nazim as he is very busy in connection with the City Government affairs.
He said that the committee will listen to the problems brought to its notice by the Association of Bengalis and Burmese, and it would recommend the grant of citizenship as well as ID cards to respective categories of people.—APP
