KARACHI, Sept 25: Sindh Chief Secretary K.B. Rind has suggested that the National Aliens Registration Authority launch a special media campaign for the registration of aliens seeking the help of Nazimeen and councillors.

The campaign should last for three to four months, and after that, the deportation of illegal immigrants who fail to get themselves registered with NARA should be initiated. He said this while speaking at a presentation on NARA activities at his office on Wednesday. He assured full support to Director General NARA M. Saleem Khan on behalf of the provincial government for launching the campaign.

NARA officials informed that as per the 1998 census, there are 1,885,435 aliens living in Karachi, who form 19 percent of the population of this city. They include 1,164,793 Bengalis, 204,448 Burmese, 513,804 Afghans and 2,390 others.

NARA has so far registered 19,016 aliens, including 16,028 Bengalis, 2,852 Afghans, 23 Chinese, 24 Filipinos, 11 Indonesians, and others.—PPI