ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday the government had decided to register all aliens living in the country.

“Foreigners living in Pakistan will be issued ‘alien cards’, which will allow them to open bank accounts, start businesses, obtain SIM cards and facilitate travel,” he said while talking to reporters here.

The announcement comes days after a gang was unearthed in Karachi that was involved in fraudulent issuance of computerised national identity cards to illegal aliens. It also comes at a time when the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan is seen as posing great challenges to Pakistan.

Mr Ahmed said the decision to register all foreigners had been necessitated by the evolving situation in the region.

He revealed that 40,000 to 50,000 unidentified people had illegally entered the country over the past 70 years, adding that “we don’t know of their whereabouts”.

Says decision necessitated by evolving situation in region

Foreigners could contact the interior ministry after their visa expires to continue availing services in Pakistan, said the minister.

He said all visa applications were being received online and with the permission of the cabinet visas were being issued within 30 days. “Agencies review the applications and if they don’t respond within 30 days, we issue the visas,” he added.

Turning to the issue of border management, Mr Ahmed said: “The Chaman border (crossing) will come online from the first (of August).”

About the 4,000-5,000 Pakis­tanis stranded at the Torkham border crossing, the minister said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) had given permission to open the border for persons vaccinated against Covid-19.

“The NCOC and FC (Frontier Corps) will decide what to do about those who test positive (for Covid-19),” he said.

In response to a question about the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan, Mr Ahmed said its case would be forwarded to and decided by the cabinet this week.

He also spoke about the upcoming election in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and predicted that the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf would win it. “(Prime Minister) Imran Khan and the bat will win,” he said, adding that the people would vote for Mr Khan in the next general election as well.

“But for that we will have to further improve our performance.”

Mr Ahmed also declared that action would be taken against drug peddlers on a large scale. According to him, more drugs were being imported into Pak­istan than were being sent out.

Any dialogue with India was not possible until it reverses its unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, said the minister. He condemned the unabated human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir and rejected Indian accusations of Pakistani involvement in recent drone activity in the disputed region.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2021