Rawalpindi Police Detain Seven Afghan Nationals in Search Operation

RAWALPINDI: Police detained seven Afghan nationals during a search operation in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, saying the individuals were residing in the country without legal authorization. The operation was conducted in the Ratta Amral area, with the detainees taken into custody from Azimabad as part of checks carried out by local police.

Police said the seven people were transferred after their detention to a holding centre in Dhok Syedan for further proceedings. The immediate report did not specify what documents, if any, had been produced by the detainees during verification or provide details about the individual legal status of each person beyond the police description of their stay as unauthorized.

The search operation covered 50 houses and 30 shops in the locality, according to police. Authorities also carried out biometric verification of 60 people during the exercise, indicating that the action involved broader identity and residency checks rather than only the seven people who were eventually detained.

The Rawalpindi action comes against the backdrop of a wider Punjab campaign concerning foreign nationals whose residency status authorities consider irregular. Provincial police have been conducting search, sweep and combing operations while working with other security and intelligence agencies to identify people staying without the documentation required under government policy. In July, senior provincial police officials directed that such identification and repatriation efforts be accelerated across Punjab.

Official figures released on July 2 showed the scale of the continuing campaign. At that point, provincial police said 35,719 foreign nationals, including Afghans, had been deported from Lahore and other parts of Punjab. The figures included more than 14,000 men, 7,138 women and 14,529 children, according to the official statement issued at the time.

Earlier official updates also showed that people processed under the campaign have included different documentation categories, including holders of Proof of Registration documents, Afghan Citizen Cards and people classified by authorities as having no legal residency status. Police have said the removal process is being implemented under the government's policy and in accordance with applicable international obligations.

The latest operation is significant for Rawalpindi because it demonstrates that verification activity is continuing at neighbourhood level, involving homes, commercial premises and biometric checks. The detention of seven people after dozens of checks also means the next stage will centre on verification of their legal status and the administrative process at the holding facility rather than an immediate conclusion solely from the search operation.

Police said the detainees had been moved to the Dhok Syedan holding centre for further action. No additional information was immediately provided about the duration of their stay at the facility or the timetable for subsequent proceedings. Further steps are expected to depend on documentation checks and the applicable legal and administrative process, while search operations targeting people authorities classify as illegally residing foreign nationals remain part of the broader provincial enforcement drive.