Islamabad - Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said strict legal action will be taken against foreigners illegally living in the country after August 31.

“Cases will be registered against illegal aliens in the country and they will be sent to prison for 14 years,” the minister told the media yesterday. He announced Rs10, 000 reward for identifying such aliens in Pakistan.

He said the first phase of CNIC verification campaign has successfully been completed. Around 2.6 million people have verified their CNICs to Nadra in a month, he claimed.

“We have covered about one-fifth of the total population during the first phase of the campaign. Unknown people turn up in records of 13,000 families in the re-verification and 23,000 people had so far been proved to be foreigners living in the country,” he added.

Nisar said 100,000 CNICs have been blocked from 2013 to 2016 and over 2,000 passports were cancelled during this period. He said one million SIMs also verified with the cooperation of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.

The minister Nisar said the CNICs to Mullah Akhtar Mansour and other such foreigners were issued during the previous military or quasi-military regimes. “I am getting formed a parliamentary committee to look after the complaints about the blocked CNICs," he said.

“I assure you that with the help of Nadra, media and our people; we will be able to throw out the intruders of the country,” he added.

The minister said he was trying his best to undo the wrongdoings of the previous governments by introducing reforms and strictly following the standard procedures while issuing identity documents to the people.

Nisar said a high-level meeting on the document verification issue will be called next week, which will be attended by Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif as well as heads of intelligence services.

About the re-admission policy on deported Pakistanis, he said his government would not allow any airline to get re-admitted any foreigner.

He said Rangers' role should not be politicised as they are rendering services for the peace in Karachi. Nisar said 31 personnel sacrificed their lives for the cause of peace while 89 have been injured.

“The paramilitary force has to have legal cover as they curb activities of criminals in the city. We should not make Rangers a political football."

About extension in Rangers’ power and stay, Nisar said he came to know after the media broke the news. He said the notification regarding Rangers’ powers was not just for Karachi, it is for the entire province.

He said 533 suspects, including 34 banned outfits members, suspects  have been arrested in 154 raids in interior Sindh. The minister said crime rate fell in Karachi and the operation should go on for durable peace in the port city.

In reply to questions, about his Indian counterpart’s visit, interior minister said no meeting with Rajnath Singh was planned “I am not restless to meet with him. We will play India on the wicket it wants to.”

About the death of Pakistani-British Samia Shahid, he said investigation was underway.