The widows of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden were living illegally in Pakistan and under the law those who enter or live in the country without valid documents will not be deported directly but would face trial under Foreigner Act, said legal experts.
"Those who enter Pakistan illegally, stay without travelling documents or over stay in the country would be tried under Foreigner Act and if found guilty would be deported," Saliheen Muhgal senior lawyer said while talking to Business Recorder. He also said that those who were found guilty of illegal stay after expiry of visa in the country could be tried under Immigration Act and Passport Act.
Senior advocate Ahmer Bilal Sofi said that legal deportation of a person is possible only after the authorities try him/her under Foreigner Act. Under the law, the government cannot repatriate directly anyone who lacks valid documents, he said. The Interior Ministry sources said that the widows of Osama lacked legal documents therefore their deportation was being delayed.
They stated that it was important to register an FIR against Osama's widows for the sake of their legal repatriation under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had registered a case against the family in this regard, said an official of the Ministry.
He said the government wanted to repatriate the family to their home country as soon as possible but repatriation was impossible due to lack of travelling documents. The three widows of Bin Laden - Yemen's Amal Ahmed Abdel-Fatah al-Sada and Saudi Arabia's Siham Saber and Khadeja Sharif have recorded their statements. After keeping them in custody for about 10 months, the government has registered a case against adult relatives of al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden who was killed in Abbottabad by US commandos on May 2, 2011.