Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri has said that despite the way some of the European countries and their media deal with Pakistanis caught for immigration laws' violations, the Sindh High Court has taken a lenient view in the case against French journalists and set them free.
Kasuri was addressing a press conference at the State Guest House here on Tuesday to brief the newsmen on the recent developments in respect of Pak-India, Pak-Afghan relations and the successful holding of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (Saarc) January 4-6 in Islamabad.
At the end of the briefing the minister talked about the French journalists.
He said that the Pakistani media should know the way innocent Pakistanis caught and dealt with in European countries and elsewhere for minor lapses in respect of immigration laws.
He said: "The authorities treat them as criminals and the media sensationalise their arrest and portray them as terrorists till such time they are released by the court."
"In case of the French journalists Pakistan took a lenient view and treated them with respect though they had confessed their guilt," he said and added they were caught for the violation of Pakistan immigration laws.
Kasuri further said, "It is however, pertinent to point out here that the Pakistani nationals, who migrate to other European countries due to economic reasons, are sometimes arrested by the local police and both police and media in those countries have in the past, unfortunately, sensationalised these arrests and levelled all sorts of serious allegations against these Pakistani economic migrants."
He said that those arrested in that manner were ultimately found innocent by the judiciary in those countries.
"However, these Pakistani citizens and their families, unfortunately, prior to their exoneration, were put under extreme emotional and physical stress," he added.
Kasuri said that the French foreign minister had given him rings several times on the issue of French journalists, who were apprehended for violating Pakistani immigration laws.
He said that the judicial process had been completed and the two journalists had confessed their guilt and pleaded guilty to the violation of Pakistani immigration laws.
Kasuri said: "Pakistan's judiciary is completely independent and the Sindh High Court had taken a lenient view and had set them free."
Kasuri said Pakistan and France have excellent relations and Pakistan highly value this relationship.
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