QUETTA: The government has decided to check national identity cards and local and domicile certificates issued since 2000 in Balochistan to find out how many Afghan refugees have been issued these national documents illegally.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held here on Friday.

The meeting was presided over by Provincial Home Secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani.

The meeting discussed repatriation of Afghan refugees to Afghanistan and pace and implementation on National Action Plan (NAP).

Officials sources said that the matter regarding scrutiny of NIC, local and domicile certificates was taken up after some reports said that large number of Afghan refugees had been issued these documents illegally by institutions concerned.

Read: Afghan refugees in Balochistan seeking asylum abroad: UNHCR

“All NICs and other documents issued since 2000 till now would be scrutinised by agencies concerned in Balochistan,” a senior official of the Balochistan government told Dawn.

He said that officials found involved in issuing NICs and other documents to Afghan refugees would face strict legal action.

It was also decided in the meeting that all illegal Afghan immigrants living in the refugee camps would be arrested and sent back to their country.

“Over 70 per cent of Afghans are illegal immigrants who are living in refugee camps of Balochistan with no legal documents and they are not registered with Nadra,” he said.

“Only 30 per cent of Afghans living in the refugee camps are legal refugees having refugee cards issued by Nadra,” the official further said. The deputy commissioner and other agencies concerned have been ordered to check documents of all Afghan refugees and all illegal refugees should be arrested and sent back to Afghanistan.

The meeting was also informed that around 74 per cent of Afghan refugees registered in Balochistan were living in cities and towns of the province and only 26 per cent living in refugee camps.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner for Afghan Refugee Organisation, Quetta Commissioner, officials of UNHCR, Frontier Corps, FIA, Police, Intelligence Bureau and other institutions concerned.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2015

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