05 February 2004	Thursday	13 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 4: The National Aliens Registration Authority has decided to send the particulars of all the registered illegal immigrants to the special branch and police stations so that they are not harassed by police or any other agency.

The NARA will also issue Form 'B' to the aliens for registration of their children. This step had been taken after the reports that police and other agencies conducted raids and rounded up children of the aliens, who had got them registered with the NARA, official sources said.

They said the NARA staff at all zones had been directed to advise the aliens approaching for registration to bring the photographs of their children so that Form 'B' could be given to them.

The officials said that there was no proper record of aliens available with them except a report prepared by former Sindh IGP Afzal Shigri in 1996. Now the NARA, despite resource constraints, had begun compiling the statistics of aliens, they added.

Stressing on coordinated efforts in this respect, the officials said computerized information on aliens would be sent to the special branch, other concerned departments and police stations.

They said the NARA had been advising the Bengalis settled here since pre-Bangladesh period to apply for Pakistani citizenship afresh, as under an ordinance of 1978 amending Pakistan Citizen Act 1951, they would not be deemed to be Pakistanis after Dec 16, 1971.

"There is provision in the law for seeking citizenship according to which Bengalis have to apply through Form E-I to the First Class Magistrate, who would recommend to the provincial government for granting them citizenship," they said.

The officials said the NARA had got 70 per cent success with regard to issuance of Computerized National Identity Cards to the aliens. "The Bengalis, Burmese or any other illegal immigrants here are no more issued Pakistani passports," they added.

According to the official sources, the NARA had received information that around 9,000 cases registered under Foreigners Act were pending before different courts since years due to lethargy on part of the concerned agencies. Taking benefit of it, a large number of aliens got them elected to different tiers of local government in Karachi, they said.

Referring to the case of Dr Allaudin, Nazim UC-5, Machar Colony, Keamari Town, they said the case was pending trial in Judicial Magistrate court. Dr Allaudin reportedly arrived here from Bangladesh without passport in 1983. He was arrested by Special Branch under Foreigners Act 1956 and Foreigners Registration Ordinance 1951 vide FIR 591/91. He had also submitted a forged matriculation certificate with his nomination paper and a case was registered by the Returning Officer vide FIR No: 17(001 under Section 46) 64/420/471 PPC. However, the case had been pending trial in the court, the officials said.

Quoting the report prepared by former IGP Afzal Shigri, they said it had made startling disclosures as from 1974 to 1995, a total of 11,169 aliens were prosecuted in the courts and only 1,975 were deported out of estimated two million aliens.

The report also revealed that from 1990 to 1995, a total of 408,464 Indians entered Pakistan through three immigration check posts in Punjab; Lahore airport, Lahore railway station and Wagha border. However, only 175,059 Indians got them registered with Foreigners Registration Offices and there was no information about the whereabouts of remaining immigrants.

The officials said that the NARA had sent a list of over 100 Bengali and Burmese immigrants to the National Database and Registration Authority for inquiry. The list contained the names of illegal immigrants, who got themselves elected to the local bodies in Karachi through fake National Identity Cards and other documents.

The officials said that these elected people were also attesting and getting CNICs for other aliens, besides prohibiting them from getting registration with the NARA. -PPI