KARACHI: Amid crackdown against illegal immigrants in the financial capital of the country, industries hiring foreign workers are under pressure to employ only those who have documentary proofs.
Since thousands of legal and illegal immigrants work in Karachi, it is increasingly challenging for the government to register them all.
In an ongoing crackdown in the city, law enforcement agencies have booked hundreds of immigrants under the Foreigners Act. Authorities now say that the government intends to deport these immigrants after legal formalities.
A former president of a trade association of Karachi said that police have given a strict message to industrialists to check the documents of the immigrants they have hired in their factories.
Karachi being a port city and financial hub of Pakistan hosts thousands of immigrants but what is difficult for the government is to collect their proper data and register them especially in the wake of rising security issues.
Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBATI) Chairman Shahid Ismail, said that police officials have asked the industrialists to be vigilant about hiring immigrants who do not have proper documents.
“What is important is that thousands of immigrants in Karachi have fraudulently made CNIC cards, would they be considered having proper documents?”
Since Afghan refugees have been living in Karachi for long so those who have documents would not be disturbed anyway, but Afghan workers who do not have PoR card would face serious action from the association, he said.
“We would have to take some action in this regard, registering immigrants and refugees is the responsibility of the government and our services are at government disposal. Without proper documentation how can we differentiate between legal and illegal immigrants?” he asked.
“We also direct our industries to properly document Bengali workers who work in our industries. We always discourage hiring undocumented workers in industries.
“If any mishap occurred in which these unregistered labourers are involved, who will be responsible for that?” Ismail asked. On maltreatment with refugees in industries, he said that owing to rising cost of production in country factory owners may have exploited this situation and hire refugees on low wages. This way they can save themselves from labour laws as these refugees are unregistered workers.
NADRA should take up this matter and registered all immigrants living in the Karachi city so that government could implement its policies in maintaining law and order challenges. Government of Sindh should also take up this serious matter with relevant authorities, and such registration could easily be done in couple of weeks and a month, he urged.
“There are numerous incidences in which factory owners exploit Afghan refugees such as hiring them on considerably low pay scale,” said Shahida Ghani, a lawyer associated with the Society for Human Rights and Prisoners Aid (SHARP).
She told Our Sources that thousands of Afghan refugees work in factories of Karachi city. They have been deprived of their basic labour rights. However, international conventions permit them to work in their host countries.
“The crackdown on immigrants in Karachi has badly shaken Afghan refugees,” said Najmudeen Warya Khel, President Afghan Refugees Solidarity Association, Sindh adding, “They are very much concerned as the government intends to swiftly deport Afghans caught in the crackdown.”
There are some 0.5 million Afghan refugees in Sindh, whereas 2.5 lakh live in Karachi for the obvious reason of better job prospects. “If Pakistan deports them, where would they go? Majority of these refugees are poor who even do not have money to feed them and construct homes if they go back home,” he said with wet eyes.
Out of the 2.5 lakh Afghans in Karachi, only 78,000 have PoR cards which means only one-third are legal refugees. This means majority of these immigrants are unregistered with the government.
The government in collaboration with the United Nations Human Rights Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2007 issued Proof of Registration (PoR) cards to all Afghan citizens living in Pakistan. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) issued the cards.
Imran Zaib Khan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), a federal ministry dealing with Afghan refugees in Pakistan, said “we have clear orders for law enforcement agencies that they can book all those Afghan refugees who do not posses PoR cards. “Afghan refugees who do not have PoR cards are illegal immigrants because they did not register themselves when the government asked them despite giving them amnesty for three months,” he added.
End. | 
Health
