Saudi authorities recently deported some 175 Pakistanis who had overstayed their Umrah visas in the kingdom. The deportees arrived at the Islamabad International Airport on a scheduled flight from Saudi Arabia on 16 November. They were led to FIA authorities upon arrival at the airport. Meanwhile, an immigration judge granted bail to about 216 Pakistanis detained at the Peshawar central jail after being deported from Oman. They were among 600 Pakistani irregular migrants deported by Oman in mid-November.
Some 33 Pakistanis, including an alleged imam, were arrested by US federal immigration agents on 15 November on charges of fraudulent entry into the United States. Those arrested on administrative immigration violations possessed visas that allowed them to work in the US as religious scholars or leaders. However, federal authorities discovered that most of them had no theological training and were working as truck drivers or pump gas attendants or were unemployed.
Authorities arrested some 120 Afghan nationals from Nushki and the border area of Tump on 18 November on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities. Thirty-three undocumented Afghans were seized by the Frontier Corps following a raid of in Nushki while 87 others were nabbed in Tump. The latter allegedly entered the country with the intention of traveling on to Iran.
According to Nayar Agha, chief commissioner for Afghan Refugees in Islamabad, Afghans living in Pakistan who fail to register in the 15 October to 31 December registration period, would be treated as irregular migrants and face legal consequences. The registration program was initiated to register more than two million Afghans living in Pakistan and provide them with Proof of Registration cards valid for three years. As of 22 November, some 380,000 Afghans have registered nationwide, comprising some 15 percent of the estimated Afghan population in the country. According to some officials, residents of five camps in the Mardan and Swabi districts were the most unwilling to register.
The Pakistani government is planning to rehabilitate areas where Afghan refugees have settled for a long time and to initiate the delivery of basic services to improve the living conditions of the local population in these areas. The Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative is part of the Pakistani government’s current overall strategy to address all issues relating to Afghans living in Pakistan. Other programs under this strategy include the voluntary repatriation and the registration of Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, remittances from overseas Pakistani workers rose by some 19 percent during the period July to October 2006 reaching $1.644 billion compared to the $1.375 billion remitted in same period last year. The US is still the top source of remittances despite difficulties being experienced by US-based Pakistanis due to Washington’s strict anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism programs.
Sources: “Remittances rise by 19 per cent in July-Oct," Dawn, 16 November 2006; “175 illegal immigrants arrive from S. Arabia," Dawn, 16 November 2006; Karin Brulliard, “33 arrested in visa investigation," Washington Post, 17 November 2006; “Peshawar: 216 deportees granted bail," Dawn, 19 November 2006; “120 Afghans arrested," Dawn, 19 November 2006; “50,000 Afghans registered in Punjab," Dawn, 19 November 2006; O’Ryan Johnson, “Imam arrested in visa investigation," townonline.com, 22 November 2006; “Unregistered refugees to face action after Dec 31," Dawn, 22 November 2006; “Pakistan: Unregistered Afghans to be treated as illegal immigrants," IRIN News, 23 November 2006; “Pakistan: UN and government plan to develop former Afghan refugee camps," IRIN News, 29 November 2006