Punjab govt collects Afghan women's data amid deportation drive
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Punjab police’s Special Branch and Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) have compiled a detailed record of Afghan women residing across ten cities of the province, including their age groups, locations, and legal status, 24NewsHD TV Channel reported on Tuesday.
According to the report, 6,308 Afghan citizen card-holder women are currently residing in Punjab, mainly in Lahore and other urban centres.
In addition, 1,828 Afghan women are living in Punjab as dependents without possessing citizen cards.
The highest number of undocumented Afghan women is found in Rawalpindi, where 720 women are reportedly staying without legal papers.
The data comes amid an ongoing crackdown on illegal Afghan residents after the government’s deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country expired earlier this month.
It is worth mentioning that as reported on April 5 by 24NewsHD TV channel, over 67,800 Afghan nationals have gone into hiding across Punjab to avoid deportation.
Among them, 37,577 are missing from Rawalpindi, 7,341 from Lahore, 12,438 from Gujranwala, and 8,318 from Sargodha.
Law enforcement agencies have launched search operations in several cities. Over 1,000 Afghans have already been repatriated via the Torkham border, and 1,339 more are scheduled to be sent back today.
In the capital, Islamabad, hundreds of Afghans have been rounded up from informal settlements and shifted to the Haji Camp, while over 190 Afghans in Rawalpindi have been moved to holding centres.
Authorities say the deportation drive will continue in other parts of Punjab as well.
Reporter: Irfan Malik