07 July 2004	Wednesday	18 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, July 6: Law-enforcement agencies are reported to have picked up over 150 foreign nationals in a crackdown on illegal immigrants in Punjab in what is believed to be a part of the ongoing anti-terror campaign.

Dawn has learnt that the week-long campaign is being carried out jointly by police, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in cooperation with intelligence agencies.

"The crackdown was launched on reports that foreigners staying here illegally are involved in criminal activities," Lahore DIG police Tariq Saleem said. Asked if the operation was part of the government's anti- terror campaign, he replied: "Heinous crimes also fall in the category of terrorism."

It is a massive crackdown, he said, adding that it had been launched against foreigners living without any legal cover.

He said police had been directed to register all foreigners living anywhere and arrest those who did not have any legal document or whose legal stay period had expired. Police would call all property dealers in different areas and ask them not to help any foreigner in renting a house without registration, he said.

He added that most of the detained foreigners were Afghans and the remaining belonged to African and Arab countries. "I am not in a position to give the number of arrests and the nature of their interrogation. We will announce it soon."

Intelligence sources, however, put the number of arrests at 155 and said that at least two of the foreigners in custody were believed to be involved in subversive activities. Of them, they said, 119 had been picked up from Lahore and its suburbs and 36 from Faisalabad.

Raids were conducted in rich and middle-class neighbourhoods and also in seminaries, they said and added that the focus was on Afghans linked to jehadi organizations. "We have booked the foreigners under Foreign Act," SP Usman Anwar said. They have been detained in various police lock-ups and the Lahore Kot Lakhpat Jail," he said.