The Jammu and Kashmir administration has formed a seven-member panel to identify foreign nationals who have been illegally overstaying in Jammu and Kashmir for the past 13 years, aiming to facilitate their deportation.

The panel has been tasked with gathering biographic and biometric details of illegal migrants and maintaining an updated digital record regularly.

"Sanction is hereby accorded to the re-constitution of the committee to identify foreign nationals illegally overstaying in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir since 2011", Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department, Chandraker Bharti said in an order.

The administrative secretary of the home department will chair the panel. Other members include the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer (FRRO) of Punjab, the Criminal Investigation Department (Special Branch) of the Jammu and Srinagar headquarters, and all district SSPs and SPs (Foreigners Registration), along with the state coordinator, NIC.

According to the order, the committee is required to prepare a monthly report and submit it to the Union home ministry by the fifth day of each month.

The Home Department has also instructed the panel to coordinate and oversee efforts related to tracing and deporting foreign nationals residing illegally in the Union Territory.

Apart from it, the panel will monitor the progress made on these issues and report regularly to the Home department.

It is also responsible for disseminating information on ongoing cases in various courts, as well as monitoring and updating the status of these cases for relevant stakeholders.

The nodal officer will oversee the collection of biographic and biometric data of illegal migrants, compile progress reports, and maintain an up-to-date digital record of those illegally staying in Jammu and Kashmir on a regular basis, the order said.

In 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir Police conducted an operation against illegal immigrants, detaining more than 270 Rohingyas from Myanmar, including 74 women and 70 children, at the sub-jail in Kathua district’s Hiranagar.

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