Pakistan seeks EU input on deportation row

Nisar is hoping to iron out differences with European diplomats

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan will soon be handing out invitations to all European ambassadors for a crucial meeting in Islamabad in a bid to settle its festering deportation row with the European Union (EU), Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar announced on Friday.

The minister said that through the meeting with the foreign envoys he expected to craft ways to strengthen Pakistan and EU’s cooperation, especially on security and issues of mutual concern.



A day earlier, Pakistani authorities had sent back 30 migrants deported by Greece over incomplete or missing nationality documents. Just weeks earlier, Islamabad had suspended its deportation accord with the 28-nation bloc, claiming the treaty favoured the European countries.

The interior minister discussed these issues with the EU commissioner on migration and both sides agreed to revisit the readmission agreement. A little over a week after the Pak-EU meeting gave a new lease of life to the accord, Islamabad refused to accept the 30 deportees, citing incomplete documents.

The refusal prompted the ambassadors of Greece, Austria and Bulgaria to rush to the airport. They urged the immigration authorities to detain the deportees, but the plane was sent back.



On Friday, Chaudhry Nisar met with German Ambassador Ina Lepel to discuss the readmission agreement once again.

The security czar said the stance of the government on the issue of deportees was aimed at not only ensuring international laws were followed but also to make sure human rights were protected.

“We are committed to ensuring that people involved in any violation of immigration laws of Pakistan or any other country and their facilitators are brought to book,” he added.

Human smuggling

The minister assured the German ambassador that Islamabad acknowledged the EU’s concerns on the issue of illegal migrants. “We are trying to discourage illegal movement to European countries through a crackdown against human smuggling rings within and outside Pakistan.”



Apart from the deportation treaty, Pak-German bilateral relations, mutual cooperation, newly revised policy for international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and the regional situation came under discussion at the meeting. “Pakistan values its friendly relations with Germany and wants to strengthen this relationship in all possible areas for the mutual benefit of the two countries,” Nisar told the German envoy. Lepel, while appreciating the interior minister’s stance, said the two countries might also explore the possibility of a separate protocol on the issue of deportees.

International aid groups

Talking about the new policy for international trusts, Nisar said the strategy was aimed at strengthening the partnership between the government and the INGOs. “It is encouraging to see a large number of groups applying for registration with the government as per the new policy,” he added.

The German envoy hoped the interior ministry would continue to provide all possible assistance to the aid groups in their mission to serve the people in various sectors. “Germany values its ties with Pakistan and the government and the people of Germany are keen to strengthen the relationship,” Lepel said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th, 2015.