ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have intensified intelligence-led operations aimed at screening and verifying undocumented Afghan nationals residing in the federal capital and several districts of Punjab province, police officials said on Sunday.
The operations, conducted under a coordinated operational framework, are part of an ongoing campaign to enforce immigration laws and maintain public order. During multiple raids and search activities, at least seven Afghan nationals described by police as illegally residing in the country were arrested.
According to officials, law enforcement agencies are taking action against unregistered foreign nationals in accordance with existing legal provisions. The authorities emphasized that the campaign is being carried out without discrimination and in line with national regulations.
In Rawalpindi, a city adjacent to Islamabad, two undocumented Afghan nationals were apprehended during a search operation and transferred to a holding centre in the Dhoke Syedan area.
Police also registered three separate cases against property owners accused of renting accommodation to individuals without valid documentation. In another action in the district, officers recovered one pistol along with eight rounds of ammunition and registered a case.
In the hill station of Murree, police conducted extensive checks covering 50 houses, 40 shops, one bus stand and a market area. Identity verification of 120 individuals was completed during the operation.
Authorities reported the arrest of three undocumented Afghan nationals, while 10 other suspects and one alleged drug peddler were taken into custody. In total, 14 individuals were arrested in Murree during the crackdown.
In Jhelum, police searched 42 houses and verified the identification documents of 92 individuals. Two undocumented Afghan nationals were arrested during the operation.
Meanwhile, in Chakwal, authorities carried out searches of 62 houses, shops and vehicles, screening 18 suspects. Police arrested seven proclaimed offenders – individuals previously declared wanted by courts – as well as two absconders.
A case was also registered against a person accused of sheltering a proclaimed offender. During the operation, officers recovered 1,300 grams of hashish from a suspect, and further legal proceedings are underway.
Police officials reiterated that such intelligence-based operations will continue in order to uphold law and order, enforce immigration regulations, and address criminal activity in the targeted areas.
