• Says ‘strong-arm’ tactics be used against militants, not people
• Nadra profiling illegal immigrants ‘for future use’

KARACHI / PESHAWAR: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has questioned the “strong-arm” tactics used to repatriate illegal Afghan immigrants and called for “distinguishing between terrorists and people”.

Talking to reporters in Karachi, the PPP chairman said robust measures needed against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) shouldn’t be used against the civilians.

“A distinction must be made between people and terrorists while devising any policy,” Mr Bhutto-Zardari added. “If you go against people, you will never achieve your target.”

In reply to a question, the former foreign minister said there was a “lack of clarity” in the caretaker government’s policy about the repatriation of illegal Afghan immigrants.

‘In line with international laws’

The government had initially warned Afghan immigrants residing illegally in Pakistan to voluntarily leave by Oct 31. Now, the authorities have decided to expand the action and announced the plan to deport even registered Afghans, according to Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai.

The issue was also discussed in the Senate on Thursday where the house appeared divided over the caretaker government’s decision.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has rebuffed criticism over the deportation of, what it called, illegal Afghan refugees residing in Pakistan and said the actions were in line with the established international laws.

Answering a question during her weekly press briefing on Friday, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said the policy was reflective of Pakistan’s desire to implement its own laws, which include sanctions on individuals who are residing illegally.

“These laws are similar in many countries, including the United States,” she remarked.

The policy is being implemented “with full confidence that it was in conformity with international practice”.

She claimed the policy doesn’t apply to individuals who have confirmed refugee status in Pakistan and that the government was “sensitive to the concerns some of these individuals may have regarding their return to Afghanistan”.

On the policy vis-a-vis Afghan individuals destined to be settled in third countries, she said Pakistan was in contact with these countries, including the US, to work out the modalities for the settlement process.

Ms Baloch said Pakistan has repeatedly asked the Afg­han interim government to rein in terrorist groups op­­erating from its soil. Tali­b­­an leaders have made commitments with Pakistan and the international community that their soil will not be used against Pakistan, she add­ed and called upon Kabul to fulfil this commitment.

Database for ‘future use’

The illegal Afghan nat­ionals exiting Pakistan are being profiled by Nadra which will maintain their data “for future uses”, officials involved in voluntary repatriation of the immigrants told Dawn.

Nadra was maintaining the data of every illegal immigrant leaving the country, however, the government later exempted women and children below the age of 14. The new database is being maintained on top of the existing record of Af­­ghan Citizen Card and Proof of Registration card holders. Illegal immigrants do not have both, officials said.

“This is being done for the future,” a senior official involved in the processing of illegal immigrants before repatriation told Dawn.

When asked about the “future use” of this record, the official said there could be multiple uses which were previously not possible due to the absence of individual profiles. “Now that data of these people are being maintained, including pictures and fingerprints, we will at least be able to identify the culprits in case of any future event,” the official said.

Over 200,000 repatriated

The exodus of Afghan na­­tionals continued on Fr­­i­­­­day as 3,605 undocumen­ted immigrants, including 1,136 men, 810 women, 1,453 children and 206 deportees crossed the border into Afghanistan, officials said.

Since Sept 17, around 200,018 illegal Afghan nationals, including 56,569 men, 43,769 women and 99,680 children, have gone back via the Torkham border crossing.

Officials added that aro­und 51 people from Man­s­ehra and 40 from Char­s­a­dda, including women and children, left for Afghan­is­tan from the Peshawar holding area on Friday.

The official also infor­med that two Pakistani nationals who were imprisoned for crimes also arrived at the border among the group of illegal immigrants and tried to escape to Afghanistan.

The men, one from Punjab and another from AJK, however failed in their bid after their fingerprints matched with the existing Nadra record.

They were sent back to the respective areas they had come from.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2023