ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said on Thursday that the process of repatriation of illegal foreign nationals will continue in an orderly and phased manner in exercise of Pakistan’s sovereign domestic laws and compliant with applicable international norms and principles with no reconsideration of the policy.
Speaking at her weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch clarified that the illegal foreigners’ repatriation plan applies to all foreigners residing illegally in Pakistan irrespective of their nationality and country of origin.
“This process will continue in an orderly and phased manner. This decision is in exercise of Pakistan’s sovereign domestic laws and compliant with applicable international norms and principles,” she said, adding that it does not apply to individuals who enjoy refugee status.
Responding to the concerns expressed by certain countries as well as international humanitarian and refugees’ organisations, she said that the government of Pakistan has said that in implementing this policy, it will be sensitive to some of these concerns.
When asked about the cases of Afghan journalists or artists who are in Pakistan and face danger on return to Afghanistan, she said that the policy is very clear and individuals who are illegal, who do not possess legal documents, who have overstayed their visas will be repatriated.
“So, there is, at this point, no reconsideration of the policy. As for the repatriation exercise, we will be sensitive to these concerns,” she added.
The remarks come a day after Pakistan launched a countrywide operation against illegally residing foreign nationals by arresting and subsequently, deporting them to their respective countries despite international concerns and calls for reconsideration of the policy.
In response to a question, she said that Pakistan is engaged with a number of countries, including the United States, with respect to Afghan individuals who are to be resettled in third countries.
“These consultations continue and Pakistan has impressed on these governments to expedite their visas and approval processes so that they can leave for their destinations without further delay,” she said.
The spokesperson also announced that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will embark on an official visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan to participate in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit commencing on Wednesday next.
She said that the caretaker prime minister, at the summit, will reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to ECO Vision 2025 and promotion of cooperation in the areas of trade, transport, connectivity, energy, tourism, and economic growth and productivity.
She added that the caretaker prime minister will present Pakistan’s vision for the future work of the organisation and promotion of regional connectivity and mutual prosperity.
According to her, Kakar will also engage in bilateral discussions with the leadership of Uzbekistan and other participating leaders.
To a question about the status of the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline Project, she said that Pakistan remains committed to the gas pipeline project and it also remains engaged with Iran with regards to its future and its development. “We are also in contact with our American friends, in terms of the unilateral sanctions that they have imposed in this regard,” she added.
To another query about the death sentence awarded to the retired Indian Naval Officers by a court in Qatar, she said that the development “testifies” the presence of India’s network of espionage which has gone beyond South Asia.
“This also shows India’s reckless and irresponsible conduct in clear violation of international law and the UN principle of state sovereignty,” she said, adding that it also calls into question India’s reliability as a credible partner.
She referred to the arrest of an Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav in Balochistan in March 2016, saying that Pakistan has remained a target of India’s state-sponsored terrorism, subversion and espionage for a long time.
About the situation in Gaza, she said that Pakistan remains deeply concerned about the dire situation in occupied Palestine. She said that Israel’s relentless and indiscriminate bombing campaign, its inhumane siege of Gaza, and deliberate strikes against civilian targets including refugee camps, hospitals and apartment buildings have created an unacceptable humanitarian situation.
She said that these war crimes are being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces with full impunity as the international community continues to repeatedly fail the people of Palestine.
“We call on the international community to play its part in bringing an end to the atrocities in occupied Palestine. The UN General Assembly resolution of last week reflects the growing international consensus on the situation of Palestine,” she said.
She said that the UN Security Council must act and fulfill its responsibility of upholding peace, adding that the world body must call for lifting the siege, protecting civilians and facilitating humanitarian corridors for the provision of uninterrupted essential supplies to the beleaguered people of Gaza.
On the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), she said that Indian occupation forces continue to commit human rights violations in the occupied territory, adding that 17 Kashmiris were killed and 10 others were wounded in October.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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