It orders officers to take the strictest possible legal action against land grabbers, illegal arms and drug traffickers.
DIG Islamabad Muhammad Jawad Tariq. Photo: APP/File
Islamabad police have been ordered to initiate immediate action against Afghans residing illegally in the capital and found involved in criminal activities, following orders issued by the deputy inspector general (DIG) of police.
The directives were given during a meeting chaired by DIG Islamabad Muhammad Jawad Tariq on Sunday, which was attended by SSP Operator Qazi Ali Raza and all Station House Officers (SHOs).
According to Islamabad Police, the DIG issued strict instructions aimed at beefing up security across the city and ensuring public safety. He ordered immediate legal action against Afghan citizens living in the capital without documentation, saying authorities had obtained concrete evidence of their involvement in different crimes.
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Tariq said there would be zero tolerance for land grabbers, illegal weapons and drug traffickers, and ordered officers to take the “strictest possible legal action” against those involved.
He also ordered police to crack down on active gangs linked to major criminal activities and ordered effective operations against groups involved in car and motorcycle theft. Patrols and controls, he added, must be more targeted and citizens’ complaints must be addressed as a priority.
Many Afghans have lived in Pakistan since the 1980s after fleeing successive conflicts in Afghanistan, but following cross-border attacks from Afghan territory, the government decided to repatriate Afghan nationals residing in the country.
Pakistan has repatriated more than 1.5 million Afghan citizens since November 2023, as authorities continue a nationwide campaign to expel what they describe as undocumented foreign nationals.
The repatriation campaign, launched in November 2023, has resulted in the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Afghans. Officials 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 addressed in later phases.
Pakistan has previously attributed militant attacks and certain crimes to Afghan citizens, who make up the country’s largest migrant community. Afghanistan dismissed the allegations and described the ongoing repatriations as forced deportations.
