Islamabad [Pakistan], January 1 : Levies forces arrested 72 Afghan citizens who had arrived "illegally" in Pakistan's Chagai area from Afghanistan on Tuesday, Dawn reported.
Senior Levies officer said that Afghan nationals did not have legal travel documents and were subsequently deported at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing at Baracha in Chagai. He said Pakistan had bolstered security in its border areas with Afghanistan to stop illegal crossings.
According to officials, Levies and Frontier Corps personnel conducted 10 joint operations in 2024, which led to the arrest of 3826 Afghan citizens, which included 2,779 men, 338 women and 290 children, from various border areas of Chagai district, Dawn reported.
Following investigation, these Afghan families, who had illegally arrived in Pakistan, were sent back to Afghanistan. Levies officials said Pakistan is monitoring its border with Afghanistan to fulfil its commitment to stop illegal entries, maintaining law and order, and combating illegal activities.
Previously, Pakistan implemented a "one-document regime" system for border crossings between the two nations, under which all movement at crossing points like Chaman be conducted using passports and valid visas, according to Dawn report.
In order to implement this decision, the government created passport offices in Chaman and Qila Abdullah districts. Under this system, around 20,000 people have received passports, with no fee charged for the service.
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