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KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government has placed a temporary halt on immigration enforcement in Sabah to allow the state to carry out a digital registration drive for foreign workers.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, during a press conference on Thursday, said the initiative will help the state compile accurate, centralised biometric data to better manage its migrant workforce.

He said 113,282 foreign nationals have so far been recorded, mainly in plantations, with plans to extend the exercise to agriculture, manufacturing, mining and quarrying sectors.

The minister clarified that the programme is unrelated to citizenship or permanent residency, adding that the Special Committee on Citizenship for Sabah has processed 1,247 applications since 2021 under separate provisions.

On another matter, Saifuddin confirmed that police procedural lapses were found in the case of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir’s death, and said he will present a detailed ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday.