Directs the officers to take the strictest possible legal action against land grabbers, illegal arms and drug dealers
YOU Islamabad Muhammad Jawad Tariq. Photo: APP/ File
The Islamabad Police has been directed to initiate immediate action against Afghans staying illegally in the capital and found involved in criminal activity, following orders issued by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police.
The directives were given during a meeting chaired on Sunday by DIG Islamabad Muhammad Jawad Tariq, attended by SSP Operations Qazi Ali Raza and all Station House Officers (SHOs).
According to the Islamabad Police, the DIG issued strict instructions aimed at strengthening security throughout the city and ensuring public safety. He ordered immediate legal action against Afghan nationals living in the capital without documentation, saying authorities had obtained concrete evidence of their involvement in various crimes.
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Tariq said there would be zero tolerance for land grabbers, illegal arms and drug dealers and directed officers to take the “strictest possible legal action” against those involved.
He also directed the police to crack down on active gangs linked to major criminal activities and ordered effective operations against groups involved in car and motorcycle theft. Patrolling and control, he added, must be made more targeted, while citizens’ complaints should be dealt with on a priority basis.
Many Afghans have lived in Pakistan since the 1980s after fleeing successive conflicts in Afghanistan, but after cross-border attacks from Afghan territory, the government decided to repatriate Afghan nationals living in the country.
Pakistan has repatriated more than 1.5 million Afghan citizens since November 2023 as authorities continue a nationwide campaign to remove what they describe as undocumented foreign nationals.
The repatriation effort, launched in November 2023, has resulted in the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Officials have previously said the operation initially focused on people without legal documentation, while other categories – including Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders, who were granted temporary legal status in 2017 – would be dealt with in later phases.
Pakistan has previously attributed militant attacks and certain crimes to Afghan nationals, who make up the country’s largest migrant community. Afghanistan has denied the accusations and described the ongoing repatriations as forced deportations.
