SAHIWAL: Farid Town police have captured 13 Afghan children from a private seminary in a rented residential house at Bashir Colony at noon today. The building was taken on rent by an Afghan national having a Pakistani passport and CNIC.

Police claimed that all the children were from Badakshan, Afghanistan and have been living illegally in Pakistan, Dawn has learnt.

Muhammad Saiee, Sub Inspector, Farid Town Police station said that police raided the private house in Bashir Town after being given a tip off. Neighbors disclosed to police that the children were getting a religious education from a Madrasah, which was being run by two religious teachers named Bashir Ahmed and Ihsanullah.

Qalib Abbas, SHO, Farid Town disclosed that not a single child has any legal documents showing their Afghan identity.

The police have arrested Bashir Ahmed, the seminary teacher. He ran all the seminary affairs including providing food to the children in the rented house. Dawn learnt from police sources that Ihsanullah, the head teacher of the seminary has not been arrested.

“We have been told that he has gone to Afghanistan from the last 25 days” the SHO further added.

The police has registered FIR (55/12) under Section 14, Foreigner Act. The names of the children are…Gul Ahmed, Najeebullah, Wajhiullah, Habibullah, Ihsanul Haq, Faizul Hasan, Abdul Tawab, Kifayatullah, Sibghatullah, Islamuddin, Mukhtar Ahmed, Muhammad Saddiq and Shahabudin.

Children are in custody with the Farid Town Police. Ihsanullah is the brother-in-law of the arrested Bashir Ahmed. Basir Colony is located in Village 86/6-R adjacent to Sahiwal City.