QUETTA, Jan 4: The Balochistan Home Department has told deputy commissioners of the districts along the borders with Afghanistan and Iran to take action against foreigners, including the Afghans, living on Pakistani side of the crossing illegally.

The decision was taken on Friday at a high-level meeting which discussed illegal stay of foreigners in border areas of the province and repatriation of the registered Afghan refugees.

Home Secretary Captain (retd) Akbar Hussain Durrani presided over the meeting which was attended by deputy commissioners of districts Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Chagai, Noshki, Loralai, Zhob and Quetta, representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, and senior officials of Federal Investigation Agency, Frontier Corps and other departments.

The meeting was informed that the deadline for the registered Afghan refugees to leave for their country had been extended by the federal government by six months to June 12, 2013. Earlier, they were to leave Pakistan by Dec 31, 2012.

The home secretary asked the deputy commissioners to ensure expulsion of those foreigners who were living in Pakistan without valid documents. He told them to complete the procedure within three months and submit a report to the home department.

The meeting evolved a policy to thwart illegal entry of foreigners to Pakistan.