Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Wednesday said the government’s message about action against illegal residents was misunderstood and its deportation drive was against all those living illegally in the country, not just Afghans.
Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior Wednesday, Bugti said the government’s announcement was misconstrued and an incorrect message was delivered.
“We were talking about deporting illegal residents but it was conveyed through our announcement [as if] we are only deporting Afghans. The government’s message was not just for the Afghans. The announcement was for all illegal residents,” the interior minister clarified.
He said that anyone who had a refugee card or a visa was “our guest”, adding that the government was also similarly deporting illegal entrants coming from Iran belonging to the Baloch community.
“The perception is being given that this is an ethnic issue,” Bugti said and rebuffed any such notion, reiterating that the matter at hand was only about deporting illegal residents from the country. The interior minister said that no country in the world allowed someone to come and begin living there illegally.
Questioned by reporters later on an extension in the deadline, Bugti said there was no proposal to this effect for now and all stakeholders would deliberate if any arrived. “Our hope is to establish a one-document regime after November 1. Anyone who wants to travel to Pakistan will bring a passport,” he said, adding that the government had devised phased plans to deport those living illegally in the country.
