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Over 2,627 Pakistanis overstaying in India

Minister of State for Home Vidyasagar Rao today informed the Rajya Sabha that 2,627 Pakistanis, who entered India on proper visas, have overstayed and are currently untraceable. He said security agencies are making every effort to trace them.

Rao said state governments have been given requisite powers to detect and deport such illegal immigrants. He also said that the government was in the process of collecting information on theft of citizenship certificates from some district administrative offices

He conceded that there had been a continuous effort on the part of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and pro-Pakistan militant outfits to sneak in people to carry out terrorist activities.

He said the government was keeping a close watch on movements across the border and sustained efforts were being made to check subversive activities in the country.

Defence Minister George Fernandes said Pakistani troops had attacked Indian positions on two occasions in the last couple of months. Both the attacks - on October 22 and November 9 - were repulsed resulting in 17 casualties on the Pakistani side and three on the Indian side.

To a question of S S Pradhan on the movements of armed forces in neighbouring countries, the defence minister said the government was in control of the situation and suitable measures were being taken to protect the territorial integrity of the country.

UNI

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