UK, Pakistan sign accord to repatriate criminals
LONDON: The British government has signed a new deal with Pakistan to repatriate foreign and immigrant criminals from London to Islamabad.
Home Secretary Priti Patel made the announcement Wednesday after signing a new agreement between Pakistan’s Home Affairs Minister Yousaf Naseem Kokar and Pakistan’s British High Commissioner Moazam Ahmad Khan. A spokesman for the Pakistan High Commission told News that this was a mutual agreement and would apply equally to both countries.
This is part of a “new immigration scheme” that the UK Home Office has decided to give him 15 months It is his fifth repatriation agreement signed in the United States. The UK has similar agreements with India, Nigeria and Albania. Implementation of the new policy will not affect dual national Pakistanis who have both Pakistani and British identities. The new policy will affect Pakistani passport holders who are involved in immigration crimes and organized crime, including sexual grooming and pedophilia, diplomats told the news.
🇬🇧🤝🇵🇰 BREAKING:
I'm proud to have signed a new landmark agreement with our Pakistani friends to return foreign criminals and immigration offenders from the UK to Pakistan.
This deal shows our #NewPlanForImmigration in action, as we deliver for the British people. pic.twitter.com/UBK7gZ7Z9X
— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) August 17, 2022
Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “I make no apologies for removing dangerous foreign criminals and immigrant criminals who have no right to stay in the UK. I am so sick of people who abuse them that I cannot remove them.
This agreement, which I have proudly signed with my friends in Pakistan, confirms that the new immigration plan is in place and that the government is enforcing it. Our new border laws go further and help end the cycle of last-minute applications and appeals that delay deportation, and make up nearly 3% of the foreign offender population. As of January 2019, the UK has deported 10,741 foreign criminals worldwide (until December 2021).
According to the interior ministry, the agreement underscores the two countries’ continued efforts to address the problem of illegal immigration and the grave threat it poses to both countries, the ministry said. The agreement also includes ongoing work to improve and expand cooperation between UK and Pakistani law enforcement agencies.
A Pakistani diplomat who participated in negotiations with the British government said Christian Turner, the British High Commissioner for Pakistan, had been seeking an agreement for some time. He said the UK had been sending foreign criminals to Pakistan on a case-by-case basis under Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) for about 10 years, but it was not until a formal agreement between the countries was signed.
When asked what Pakistan got, a diplomat said Pakistan had asked the British government to ease visa requirements for students and visitors. A diplomat said the British government had agreed to look into the matter.
However, British immigration lawyers made some objections, saying that the Pakistani-British pact was in favor of Britain. said it did not have the infrastructure in place to support prisoners after they returned to Pakistan. Deported criminals cannot be detained under Pakistani law and no restrictions can be imposed on them by the Pakistani authorities. Ultimately, these individuals are deported to Pakistan because they pose a danger to British citizens.
The UK has consistently and selfishly refused to share information about criminals, their crimes and the risks these individuals pose to Pakistan. I have no idea what kind of risk it poses. Therefore, there is a real risk that the Sohail Ayaz pedophile case will be repeated.”
Labor Party councilor and immigration advocate Moazzam Ali Sandhu said as the agreement was signed without Pakistan receiving any guarantees. Said it looks.
Credit/Source : THENEWSPK