Registration of tenants, especially foreign nationals, and letting properties to them after getting permission from the local administration in Islamabad has been made mandatory for the first time.

It may irk owners of palatial houses who demand rent in foreign currency but this step of the government would go a long way in improving the security situation in the federal capital.

The city of Islamabad, where generally people do not know about even their next door neighbours, houses hundreds of foreigners in its posh residential quarters about whom only the landlords have information as to their nationality or employer.

Apparently the decision has been taken to stop suspect foreign nationals from acquiring residence in Islamabad and engage in unlawful activities including terrorism. The government believes that as there has been no check on foreign nationals, some of those having connections with terrorist networks can become tenants and use the place to plot terrorist acts.

An official of the local administration said under the law owners of houses would have to provide complete details about the tenant, his/her family or members before seeking NoC from the administration.

This is going to make letting houses to foreigners very difficult as no ordinary person can think of getting an NoC from the deputy commissioner's office easily.

In this connection the interior ministry has issued strict directives to the local administration of Islamabad that renting and hiring of houses especially to foreign nationals without prior permission of the administration would be considered an offence liable to punishment.It has been observed that presently the local administration and other authorities concerned have no data about foreign nationals as they do no know about their exact number and activities.

According to the announcement of the interior minister, the decision was taken in view of security concerns and to check presence of suspects in any part of the capital who may stay in the city in the guise of tenants.

The government has also decided to conduct a survey of the entire residential area to determine the number of foreigners living in rented property/houses. However, it has not given any guideline as to how and through which agency the survey would be conducted.

Analysts believe that the decision to bind the owners of houses and property to get NoC prior to renting out their accommodation would irk both the landlords and the tenants and there is a chance that most of them will hide such information while hiring.

One the most important aspects in it is that either the owner of the houses would voluntarily disclose the presence of foreign tenants or they would hide information to avoid bureaucratic and procedural hassle.

Similarly, foreign tenants, who usually pay more rent than local tenants, may feel uneasy in getting themselves registered with the local administration because some of the foreign nationals like Americans and Europeans, who generally remain high-value targets of the terrorists, would feel insecure if the data of their whereabouts are provided to public departments which can easily be accessed by anyone.

In that case the authorities concerned would have to give complete assurance that such data would remain secure and would not be shared with any department or individual.

Sources in the security departments said there were reports that a big number of foreign nationals were living in Islamabad illegally after the expiry of their valid visas.

Complaints have also been lodged about the influx of African nationals in different parts of the city, some of whom are reportedly involved in various crimes.

Similarly, the government has also directed security departments to thoroughly check daily enrolment of guests in hotels and guest houses and obtain complete information about them.