ISLAMABAD: The government has allowed Afghan refugees who have valid Proof of Registration (POR) cards and Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) to reside temporarily in Pakistan.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (Safron), Afghan refugees with valid POR cards and ACC are allowed to reside temporarily in Pakistan and can only be repatriated on a voluntary basis.
In this regard, instructions have already been passed to all concerned stakeholders including the provincial governments, time and again, it says.
It says that harassing arresting/ detaining registered Afghan refugees would adversely affect Pakistan’s image and goodwill earned over the last forty-three years.
In view of the above, instructions have been issued to all relevant departments/ agencies to ensure that no harassment or undue adverse action be taken against registered Afghan refugees holding POR cards and holders of ACC issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) till the decision of the federal cabinet.
Meanwhile, Islamabad police have registered 69 cases against 511 foreign nationals, staying illegally in Pakistan.
Following the direction of the government, the City police have so far conducted a checking of 1172 foreigners.
Police have forwarded documents of 19 foreigners who have Pakistan documents to NADRA for verification, the police said. Police have completed the geo-tagging of all foreign nationals. Police have also asked Afghan refugees to shift to designated camps.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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