250,000 Burmese Muslims with Pakistani passports
250,000 Burmese Muslims with Pakistani passports in Saudi Arabia
SOHAILKHOWAJA
ISLAMABAD (September 17 2007): On recommendations of Saudi government, Pakistan has issued passports to nearly 250,000 Burmese Muslims, without checking their credentials as some of them are involved in heinous criminal activities like human trafficking, well-informed sources in Interior Ministry told Business Recorder.
"Recently, the Saudi government has asked our mission in Jeddah to issue emergency passports to some ex-Burmese nationals, holding Pakistani passports and apprehended for deportation on account of criminal activities," sources said. The issue was discussed at an inter-ministerial meeting, also attended by the officials of secret agencies, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 4.
Additional Secretary (ME&A) of Foreign Ministry, while giving a brief overview of the problem of the issuance of Pakistani passports to the ex-Burmese nationals by Pakistan's mission in Saudi Arabia, underlined the objectives of the meeting. "Since this facility started, the ex-Burmese community has swollen from a few thousand to around 250,000," sources added.
They said that the community, in several cases, holds other Pakistani documents including the National Identity Cards and National Identity Cards for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) in addition to the Pakistan passports. They added that it has becomes very difficult to distinguish between the ex-Burmese and Beharis.
They said that the situation has further become precarious when, recently, some former Burmese nationals have been found involved in illegal activities, including human trafficking.
Sources said that the government was considering different options to deal with the situation, guiding Pakistan missions in Saudi Arabia for immediately addressing the problem of issuance of emergency passports to the ex-Burmese detainees, held by the Saudi authorities.
The gist of the meeting was that the participants unanimously agreed on procuring various details of the detainees for verification of their antecedents in Pakistan, after which, if they are found to be genuine Pakistanis, they would be issued with emergency passports.
Sources said that Interior Ministry Joint Secretary Viqar-un-Zeb said that her Ministry was totally against sponsoring the ex-Burmese as Pakistani nationals, and added that passports were issued to the Burmese with some conditions and were only meant for renewal of Saudi Iqamas (residence permits). "We should not accept criminals, and should stop issuance of such passports," she added.
The government of Pakistan has so far not taken up the matter with the governments of Saudi Arabia and Burma.
"We should do so with these countries, including Bangladesh, which is also involved in human smuggling," sources quoted Zeb as taking position in the meeting.
She was of the view that Pakistan should obtain details from the Saudi authorities for verification. Sources said that Intelligence Bureau (IB) Deputy Director General Wing Commander (Retd) Tariq Ahmad Lodhi argued that the matter was very crucial in view of the facts that the facility of issuance of Pakistan passports was granted as a result of a commitment involving Rabita Al-Alam Al Islami, State of Pakistan and the Saudi leadership, suggesting that due to its nature the matter should be discussed in the National Assembly.
He observed that being economic migrants, the Burmese are not interested to come to Pakistan.
"Although they hold Pakistani passports, yet we have every right to check their antecedents," sources quoted him as saying.
The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) representative said that the Saudis were very clear that the facility of Pakistani passports to around 3400 ex-Burmese nationals is for those who are working in the Saudi Auqaf Department in Haramain, and who came under the protectorate of the Saudi leadership, and added that the rest were involved in criminal and corrupt practices.
The issue has not been taken up with the Saudis so far but there should not be any delay in dealing the worsening situation, he added.
Director General, IMPASS, Khalid Habib, in his remarks said that Pakistan should not set the precedent by allowing some ex-Burmese detainees deported to Pakistan.
"Although Saudis are desperate, yet we should tell them that the detainees should not be deported immediately, and we need time to verify their national status," sources quoted DG, IMPASS as saying.
He was also of the view that no forward movement can be made unless the Saudis are taken onboard.
The IMPASS, which has been under pressures for issuance of Machine Readable Passports (MRP) to the ex-Burmese, has been resisting the pressure and are committed not to issue the MRPs to them despite the fact that they are holding NICOP, sources added. On the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding introduction of a new visibly different travel document for the ex-Burmese valid only for travel to Saudi Arabia and for renewal of Saudi Iqama, the Director General IMPASS stated that they can do so, but they need time for deciding on (i) its design (ii) the custodian of the data-base and (iii) the finance for installation of a server at Jeddah.
Another proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on giving a cut-off date by which the ex-Burmese will be required to get themselves registered and after which no passport facility will be extended to them was also discussed.
Sources said that the participants agreed that the cut-off date should be January 31, 2009. On the basis of a notification by the Ministry of Interior, Pakistan's missions in Riyadh and Jeddah would announce and display the cut-off date for registration.
Further, with the agreement of participants it was decided that with immediate effect the endorsement of children on a parent's passport will be stopped and, instead, they will be issued with the separate documents with validity of minimum possible period.
Pakistan forsees October election date
ifAn announcement on the date from the Election Commission is imminent, the officials said a day after opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's party announced she would return to Pakistan on Oct. 18 after an eight-year exile to campaign in parliamentary elections.
Two officials from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Q party, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the presidential vote would take place in the first week of October. The president, whose term expires Nov. 15, is chosen by an electoral college of all national and provincial lawmakers.
"We have enough votes to easily elect President Musharraf for another term," said Azeem Chaudhry, a senior official in the leader's party.
Chaudhry said that during negotiations on power sharing with Musharraf, Bhutto had demanded too much from the government in return for backing the military leader. Her demands included that the constitution be amended so she could become prime minister for a third term if her party wins parliamentary elections — due by January 2008.
"If we do it, it will send a signal that Benazir Bhutto is the future prime minister, and in this situation who will vote for us?" Chaudhry said.
Musharraf seized power in a 1999 coup, overthrowing the government of then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But the U.S.-allied military leader has seen his popularity slide this year after he tried to remove the Supreme Court's popular chief judge and Islamic militants stepped up attacks in the nation.
On Friday, Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party announced the two-time former prime minister, who left the country in 1999 amid corruption allegations, will return home in October to campaign in the parliamentary elections, regardless of the outcome of her talks with Musharraf.
"This will strengthen our efforts for democracy," Bhutto, who lives in exile in Dubai and London, told Pakistan's Geo television. "Democracy should be restored completely and the army removed from the scene."
Both Bhutto and Musharraf are urging moderates to work together to defeat Taliban and al-Qaida extremists based along the frontier with Afghanistan. But they have failed to produce an accord amid signs Musharraf is reluctant to give up his sweeping powers.
The ruling coalition says it has enough support to get the simple majority needed to re-elect Musharraf, who also holds the post of army chief. Yet the support of Bhutto's party would help achieve the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments that could head off of legal challenges to his re-election bid.
One ruling party official, seeking anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, told The Associated Press that the Bhutto-Musharraf talks had divided ruling party members amid concerns that their electoral chances could suffer if Musharraf makes too many concessions to Bhutto.
Despite the uncertainty over the talks, the government says that on her return, Bhutto will not suffer the fate of political rival Sharif, who was swiftly expelled when he came back from exile Monday. But officials said she would have to face pending corruption charges.
Bhutto, now 56, was only 35 when she became prime minister in 1988, the first female leader of a modern Muslim nation. She was elected to a second term in 1993.
Analysts say even if Bhutto gains enough seats to form the government, she will be a weaker prime minister because the president enjoys more power. Bhutto's demands included clipping the wings of the president by reducing his power to dismiss the parliament, Chaudhry said
