KP Government to Establish Temporary Camps for Undocumented Foreigners

Muhammad Faheem

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to establish temporary camps at three designated locations for foreign nationals residing illegally in the province.

The KP Interior Department has now finalized the plan for the repatriation of these individuals. Legal action against illegally staying foreigners will commence from November 1, focusing on their return from specified areas. These locations will offer temporary shelter and provisions, following established laws and customs, with special attention to the elderly, children, and women.

Temporary sites have been identified at three locations throughout the province, including Labor Colony in Peshawar, Haripur, and the vicinity near Hamza Baba’s shrine in Khyber. Furthermore, medical supplies and health facilities will be made available, and doctors will be temporarily stationed at these sites to address healthcare needs.

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The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) will oversee the management and coordination of all these temporary camps, ensuring a systematic approach to the process.

The Federal Investigation Agency has also taken action, deploying teams to these locations. Two teams have been constituted for this purpose, with 7 officials assigned to Labor Colony in Peshawar, led by Deputy Director Niaz Akbar, and another 7 officials stationed at the site near Central Jail in Haripur, under the leadership of Deputy Director Sardarullah Babar. These teams will oversee the presence of foreigners in these temporary camps and supervise the processes for their return.

As a reminder, the government of Pakistan has set October 31 as the deadline for the voluntary repatriation of foreign nationals residing illegally in the country. Thousands of Afghans are returning to their homeland daily through the Torkham and Chaman border crossings.

On October 26, a record return was documented, with 4,709 individuals returning home, including 1,104 men, 952 women, and 2,653 children. These returnees belonged to 246 families and were transported back to Afghanistan in 153 vehicles. Pakistan has successfully repatriated a significant number of Afghan refugees, with a total of 76,928 people returning to their homeland thus far.