ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday detained 49 deportees who arrived aboard a chartered flight from Greece at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. The action was taken on the orders of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar.
According to the Interior Ministry, the deportees were sent to Pakistan illegally, violating the country’s laws. Initially, none of the 49 individuals, including the flight crew, were permitted to disembark. After verification, 30 individuals were sent back to Greece, while 19 were allowed to remain in Pakistan based on valid documentation.
An Interior Ministry spokesperson confirmed that only 19 passengers on the flight had their identities verified, while the remaining 30 failed to meet the required criteria.
In a statement, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar emphasized Pakistan’s stance on the issue: “No unverified deportee will be allowed into Pakistan. Any violations of this policy will result in their immediate return.”
The minister criticized a European country for bypassing Pakistani law despite recent agreements with the EU Migration Commissioner. He condemned the unethical and inhumane deportation practices, describing them as unacceptable.
‘Blatant Misuse’
Earlier, Chaudhry Nisar announced the suspension of Pakistan’s readmission agreements with Western countries, except the United Kingdom, due to their “blatant misuse.” He stated that some nations were labeling innocent Pakistanis as terrorists and deporting them without proper verification, a practice that could not be tolerated.
Of the 90,000 individuals deported to Pakistan this year, many were allegedly returned on charges of terrorism without confirming their nationality. “This one-sided labeling of Pakistanis as potential terrorists based on names, appearances, or attire must stop,” Nisar asserted.
The suspension of the readmission agreement with the EU was aimed at ensuring proper verification processes for deportees. Nisar clarified that flights carrying deportees would not be permitted to land in Pakistan without prior nationality verification and evidence of the charges against them.
During a recent visit to Pakistan, Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU Migration Commissioner, assured the Interior Minister that deportations from Europe would now follow clearly defined standard operating procedures to address Pakistan’s concerns.
Chaudhry Nisar urged nations advocating human rights to respect the rights of Pakistani citizens and warned against the misuse of the readmission agreement, which was originally designed for swift and reciprocal deportation procedures.
