KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to set up ‘housing facilities’ in Karachi and Sukkur to lodge illegal Afghan immigrants before their deportation, it emerged on Thursday.

Sources told Dawn that a meeting, held here at the Sindh home department on Thursday, decided to form a high-level committee comprising officials of civil and military representatives to oversee repatriation of illegal Afghan refugees from Sindh.

The sources said that it was decided that data of illegal immigrants would be collected by the Special Branch of the Sindh police and intelligence agencies would assist the law enforcers in this exercise.

A scrutiny of all aliens would be carried out before they would be transported to the Chaman border for their repatriation to Afghanistan after the end of Oct 31 deadline, the sources added.

Special Branch to collect data of all aliens; committee formed to oversee repatriation

The meeting, chaired by Additional Chief Secretary-Home Muhammad Iqbal Memon, decided that all illegal immigrants would be deported at all cost.

According to a statement issued after the meeting, the members of the high-level committee will include inspector general of Sindh police, deputy director general of the Pakistan Rangers, additional IG of Special Branch, representatives of V Corps, Intelligence Bureau, National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), Federal Investigation Agency, the Military Intelligence (MI) and Commissionerate Afghan Refugees.

The participants expressed their resolve that the illegal immigrants would not be allowed to live in Sindh in any situation, it added.

The participants in the meeting decided to meet again on Oct 16 to review the situation.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2023