ISLAMABAD: The government has finalised the plan to expel illegal immigrants from the country and no compromise would be made in this regard, said caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti on Thursday.

Addressing a press conference, he said the government would facilitate illegal immigrants who were leaving the country voluntarily but would not compromise on foreigners staying illegally in the country after November 1.

“Plan has been finalised for e repatriating illegal immigrants and holding centres have been set up in provinces and in the federal capital where illegal immigrants would be kept,” he said.

Bugti further said the government had conducted geo-fencing about illegal immigrants. “We know in which village and city illegal immigrants are living,” he said, adding that strict action would be taken against those who were found involved in giving shelter to illegal immigrants.

He clarified that the matter was related to foreigners staying illegally in the country or those who did not have any travel documents and there was no problem for those who were staying in the country under the ambit of law.

It is pertinent to mention here that on October 3, the government gave an ultimatum to all undocumented immigrants, including Afghan nationals, to leave Pakistan by November 1.

The minister said that in the first step, illegal immigrants would be repatriated. Illegal immigrants will not be arrested and the concerned department will shift them to centres set up for them. The illegal immigrants would be transported out of Pakistan, he said.

Bugti said those being expelled from the country would only be allowed to carry their local currency amounting to Rs50,000.

“A modality is being prepared in this regard and it will be finalised by today or tomorrow,” he said. “In the case of the Afghans, Afghan nationals can take 50,000 in Afghan currency per family. Permission will not be allowed for more than this.”

He further said that clear instructions had been given to law enforcement agency personnel that manhandling illegal foreigners would not be allowed.

To a question, he said there were threats to the political leadership in the country. “The time will come when there will not be a single illegal foreigner in this country,” he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023