Web desk: The Punjab government has launched a major operation against illegal Afghan residents in the province, announcing a citizen reward scheme under which anyone providing information on an undocumented Afghan will receive Rs 10,000 per case.
Authorities said the campaign targets Afghans living or conducting business without legal documents, using fake identity cards, and landlords or shopkeepers who rent out property to them.
The Punjab Police have assured informants of complete confidentiality and immediate disbursal of rewards, urging citizens to actively support the crackdown.
Action is being taken against those Afghan citizens who are residing or doing business without legal documents and are using fake identity cards.
Rs 10,000 Reward Money
Sources said that the Punjab Police, while announcing the reward scheme for citizens, has said that anyone who informs about an illegal Afghan citizen will be given a reward of Rs 10,000.
Police say that the identity of the informers will be kept completely confidential.
In this regard, the IG Punjab has directed all SHOs to immediately provide the reward money to the citizen who informs.
Officials said that this campaign is also against those landlords and shopkeepers who are renting out space to illegal Afghan residents.
The action is not limited to illegal residents, but legal action will also be taken against Afghan citizens doing business in Pakistan on tourist or medical visas. Citizens who report such people will also be given a reward of Rs 10,000 per case.
Punjab Police has appealed to citizens to play an active role in this campaign, and the police have assured immediate action and complete confidentiality for informants.
According to statistics, there was a 150 per cent increase in the arrests of Afghan citizens in Pakistan in early November, with 7,764 Afghans arrested in recent days, most of whom are from Chagai, Attock and Quetta.
At the same time, the number of people returning to Afghanistan and deported also increased sharply, reaching 37,448, of which 47 per cent were Pass of Registration (PoR) card holders, 44 per cent were undocumented, and 93 per cent were deported illegals, as per the reports.
