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Govt set to ink illegal immigration pact with EU

ISLAMABAD: The government is set to sign an agreement with the European Union (EU), under which all those found entering EU states through Pakistan would be sent back to Pakistan, irrespective of their original nationality.

“The cabinet formally approved the proposed draft of the Re-Admission Agreement during a meeting last month. The agreement will be signed with the EU and envisages that illegal migrants will be returned to Pakistan if they use Pakistani air or seaports. These illegal immigrants could belong to Pakistan or other countries and they would be sent back within two months of the detection of their illegal entry,” sources told Daily Times.

They said the agreement would bring hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants into the net. Most of people try to reach EU country in search of a better future. The sources said the cabinet had approved draft of the Re-Admission Agreement to safeguard its economic interests because the country was unable to benefit from the Third Generation Cooperation Agreement in the absence of such an agreement.

They said Pakistan was seeking enhancement in quota for its products in EU markets and a ‘liberal approach’ towards its traders. “If this agreement is not signed, Pakistani trade will be at risk in the EU,” the sources said, quoting the trade minister. They said the cabinet was told that the EU had agreed to encourage its member states to enhance migration quotas for Pakistanis. “The negotiations for the proposed Re-Admission Agreement draft almost broke down thrice in the past on the issue of re-admission of ‘third-country’ or ‘stateless’ people to Pakistan. The agreement was finalized only after the prime minister stopped insisting on exclusion of a clause related to the ‘third-country’ and ‘stateless’ people,” they said. They said all illegal Pakistani migrants would be re-admitted after confirmation of their nationality while the Pakistani government would take 60 days to investigate and determine the nationality of non-Pakistanis. “No one will be re-admitted merely on the basis of evidence of his nationality,” they said. They added that the agreement would not have retrospective effect and would be applicable from the time of its ratification by both sides. zulfiqar ghuman

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