Islamabad:
As many as 135,000 Pakistanis have applied for political asylum in Europe and the United States for the past two years, a Senate Committee was informed on Tuesday. The figure includes 125,000 asylum applications in different European countries and more than 10,000 in the United States.
The surprising revelations were shared by the Director -General of Passport during a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee for Overseas Pakistanis, led by Senator Zeeshan Khanzada.
DG informed legislators that more than 52,000 Pakistanis have been deported in the last two years. Iran alone deported 34,000 Pakistani citizens who tried to enter the country illegally, while Saudi Arabia deported 5,000 Pakistani citizens involved in Tigging.
Saudi -Arabia has also reduced its work visa quota for Pakistanis and tightened the criteria for visa issuance. Meanwhile, several countries, including UAE, Italy, the UK and other European nations, have suspended students visa programs for Pakistani applicants.
Officials of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis confirmed this development and added that some countries are bypassing litigation by repatriating Pakistanis immediately in accordance with the provisions of the Passport Act rather than imprisoning them.
DG also revealed that the passports of deported Pakistanis have been blocked and those involved in criminal activities abroad are facing strict legal consequences.
Despite these setbacks, the officials said that over 10.3 million talented and professional Pakistanis continue to work abroad and contribute to the country’s economy through transfers.
