QUETTA: Levies forces arrested 72 Afghan nationals who had crossed into Pakistan illegally from Afghanistan in the Chagai area on Tuesday.

According to a senior Levies officer, the Afghan citizens did not have legal travel documents and were subsequently deported at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing at Baracha, in Chagai.

He said Pakistan had tightened security in its border areas with Afghanistan to curb illegal crossings.

According to officials, Levies and Frontier Corps personnel carried out 10 joint operations in 2024, resulting in the arrest of 3,826 Afghan nationals, including 2,779 men, 338 women and 290 children, from various border areas of Chagai district.

These Afghan families, who had illegally entered Pakistan, were sent back to Afghanistan after investigation. Levies officials said Pakistan is closely monitoring its border with Afghanistan to fulfil its commitment to preventing illegal entries, maintaining law and order, and combating illegal activities.

Pakistan had previously imposed a “one-document regime” system for border crossings between the two countries, which mandates that all movement at crossing points like Chaman be conducted via passports and valid visas.

To facilitate this, the government established passport offices in Chaman and Qila Abdullah districts. Around 20,000 people have already been issued passports under this system, with no fee charged for the service.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2025