Denial of Disappearance of Pakistani Children in the 'Collecting Illegal Immigrants' Scheme

The governor of Shahr-e Rey confirmed reports of a 'scheme to collect illegal Pakistani immigrants' and the demolition of several 'kiosks' around Tehran, while denying the disappearance of seven Pakistani children in this incident. Meanwhile, Ali Malekouti, the prosecutor of Shahr-e Rey, stated on Sunday, August 5, that 'no report has been submitted to the prosecutor's office regarding the disappearance of these children.' According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, Hedayatollah Jamalipour, the governor of Shahr-e Rey, referred to the living conditions of these individuals as 'kiosks' and described them as 'vacant and ownerless.' He said: 'A few vacant and ownerless kiosks were demolished after coordination, and no children have gone missing.' Regarding the implementation of the 'scheme to collect illegal Pakistani immigrants' in Shahr-e Rey, he stated that these individuals were living in 'kiosks and very poor conditions' near the oil refinery. Mr. Jamalipour added: 'The residents living in the areas surrounding these illegal immigrants were also at risk and have always protested their presence in these locations.' He also mentioned that 'portable belongings' of those whose residences were demolished were carried by them, and 'bulk goods were packaged and handed over to these individuals at the border according to the minutes.' Mr. Jamalipour did not refer to the number of individuals who were arrested and returned to Pakistan. According to a report by the Imam Ali Charity Association, on the morning of Wednesday, August 1, police forces, under the order of the Ministry of Interior and 'without prior notice,' demolished the homes of Pakistani migrants around Tehran and arrested 'many individuals.' Meanwhile, a children's rights activist and several journalists reported on Twitter that seven children went missing after this incident, but the police station announced that it would not take action to find 'foreign children.' According to this report, these children are between four and eleven years old. Roya Manoochehri, a social activist, mentioned in a meeting last May that 400 Pakistani families living around Tehran had been identified by the Imam Ali Charity, stating that only 13% of the children in these families are literate. According to this report, these children are not allowed to attend school due to lack of residency documents and are educated by charities. The lack of clean drinking water, absence of sanitary facilities, and unsuitable living conditions are other problems faced by these Pakistani families, who mostly live on the outskirts of Tehran.