By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday it would not extend the deadline for illegal immigrants to leave the country by the end of this month, and warned of legal action against those who stay beyond November 1.
The Foreign Office said the plan to repatriate illegal foreigners, including those who have overstayed their visas, was announced on Sept 26 and was in line with the laws of Pakistan.
“The government’s position is very clear,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a Foreign Office spokeswoman, told reporters at a weekly briefing. “The deadline for voluntary return of illegal foreigners to their home countries is Oct. 31 and from Nov. 1, the repatriation plan kicks in as per Pakistani laws.”
Baloch said a briefing session was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for foreign missions on the illegal foreigners’ repatriation plan (IFRP), which was attended by secretary of interior Aftab Durrani and acting Foreign Secretary Ambassador Rahim Hayat Qureshi.
She said the government had established a mechanism to address any instances of harassment and maltreatment during the implementation of the plan, which included helplines at the federal and provincial levels and a high-level coordination committee at the ministry of interior.
“All foreign nationals legally living and registered in Pakistan were beyond the purview of this plan.”
Pakistan is home to millions of immigrants from neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and India, as well as from other regions such as Africa and Central Asia.
Many of them have fled conflict, poverty, or persecution in their home countries, but some have also been involved in criminal activities or terrorism.
Baloch also said Pakistan welcomed the joint communique released after the OIC Executive Committee Meeting on Palestine, which called for an immediate ceasefire and lifting of the blockade on Gaza.
She said Pakistan also supported the idea of a guarantor mechanism proposed by Turkiye to end the conflict between Palestinians and Israel.
“Pakistan welcomes all initiatives that can contribute to our ultimate objective of immediate ceasefire and lifting of blockade and provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.”
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