KARACHI: Over 41,000 illegal Afghan immigrants have so far left the province to their home country voluntarily and around 3,700 others deported, said caretaker Sindh Home Minister Haris Nawaz on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference along with caretaker Information Minister Muhammad Ahmad Shah, he said that there were about 147,000 Afghan nationals in the province who had valid documents. “We are deporting only those who do not have valid documents,” he added.

The home minister said that the provincial government was trying to repatriate illegal Afghan immigrants with full respect so that they could leave for their home country with good memories.

He said that weapons had also been recovered from illegal foreigners. “Such people have also been found involved in terrorism in our country,” he said, adding that strict action would be taken against such people.

He said that the primary focus of the caretaker provincial government was on ending street crimes and drug menace in the educational institutions. “Actions are being taken to prevent smuggling on the internal and external routes of the province,” he added.

Defending the establishment of the military courts, the minister said that all the requirements of justice were fulfilled in the military court. “The accused are allowed to have their own lawyer and after the decision, they have the right to appeal to the higher courts,” he added.

He also underlined the need of military courts and said the only difference between civil and military court was the speedy trial of the accused persons.

To a question, he said that the provincial cabinet had approved Rs350 million for Rangers to enhance their operational capacity. “We moved a summary for grant of more funds for Rangers,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2023