KARACHI: The Sindh Caretaker Government allocated a 4 billion rupees fund for the repatriation of illegal immigrants from Pakistan.
The provincial home secretary briefed a Sindh cabinet meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Caretaker Chief Minister Sindh Maqbool Baqar, with regard to the repatriation of illegal immigrants.
The chief minister urged to ensure the return of the illegal immigrants to their home countries in a better manner. He also assured the allocation of funds required for their return.
The provincial cabinet also set up a committee comprised of the secretary general administration, finance department, and representatives of transport.
The chief minister’s spokesperson said that the committee will monitor expenditures on the return of the immigrants. In the meeting, Sindh’s CM also directed for activating police along with the district administration.
KP Government’s Mechanism for Immigrants Repatriation
On the other side, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has put in place an inclusive mechanism for the smooth repatriation of all illegal immigrants to their home countries on a voluntary or detained basis after the expiry of the deadline today.
Caretaker Information Minister KP Feroz Jamal said that the 31 October deadline set for the repatriation of illegal immigrants is going to expire today. From 1 November (tomorrow), the law will take its course, and all illegal immigrants belonging to any country will be detained for repatriation to their native countries.
The minister said that Wednesday and Thursday were reserved for repatriation of the detained illegal immigrants coming from Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and Azad Kashmir, Friday and Saturday for Punjab, and Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said that the illegal immigrants would be deported through the Torkham border Khyber connecting Pakistan and Afghanistan, where strict border security arrangements were put in place.
Faroz Jamal clarified that voluntary repatriation would continue even after the expiration of the deadline. He said hoarding areas at Landi Kotal Khyber, Haripur, and Peshawar districts were established where detained illegal foreigners would be kept before deportation to their home countries after completion of legal formalities.
Abid Majeed, Additional Secretary Home, said that the detainees would be shifted in buses and other transports for deportation. He clarified that illegal immigrants involved in criminal cases would continue to face the law and would not be detailed unless cleared by courts.
He said that about 1,500 illegal immigrants could be detained at the hoarding area of Landi Kotal Khyber, two thousand at WW Colony Peshawar, and four hundred at Haripur district. He said the control room at the Home Department had been set up for monitoring the repatriation process, coordination with relevant departments, and speedy resolution of complaints.
