ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 Nomads on Pakistan-Afghanistan border and Bengalis have been living in Karachi since the country's independence but they are still stateless citizens with no nationality.

The nomads are without nationality but they have freedom to move across territorial limits of the two countries because of their divided families and property on both sides of the border.

“Unfortunately none of the two countries have so far decided the status of these people,” said Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah in a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior.

The secretary while describing the problems being faced by the National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) in Balochistan, said there were two tribes living on both sides of the border.

Some of these separated families have relatives and some own houses on either sides of the border and they have been given easement rights and so they do not need visas to travel across the border, he said.

They only require permits from the concerned officials of the two countries after crossing border, he added.

“We have installed biometrics system at some points on the border to monitor movements of these people and issued special cards to them and asked Afghan government to install a similar system on its side,” the secretary said.

He said Afghan government had neither installed such a system nor accepted the cards issued by Pakistan and therefore the status of these tribes was still undecided.

“Afghan government always blames Pakistan of cross-border infiltration of terrorists but does not cooperate to monitor movement of suspects,” he added.

A member of the committee from Balochistan, Sardar Muhammad Israr Tarin, complained about registration of some nomads by the Nadra in the province and demanded cancellation of all identity cards issued to check fake or illegal registration of nomads.

“These nomads become Afghan when they are in Afghanistan and claim to be Pakistanis when they come to our country,” he said.

He was of the view that the population of Balochistan was not big and therefore the Nadra could cancel previously issued cards and issue new ones in a short time.

The interior secretary said it might be impossible to cancel all the cards issued in the province but, he added, suspicious cards could be rechecked.

MQM MNAs drew the attention of government to the undecided status of Bengalis living in Karachi.