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NEW YORK, Nov 10: President Gen Pervez Musharraf will take up the issue of harassment of Pakistan nationals at the hands of US law enforcement agencies following the Sept 11 attacks when he meets President Bush on Saturday night.
Maj-Gen Rashid Qureshi, spokesman for Gen Musharraf,told reporters on Friday night that he ( president) was aware of immense concern of Pakistanis who had been victims of racial profiling by some citizens and the US Immigration, FBI and police authorities.
He said the president would take up the issue with Mr Bush and might speak about it at ajoint press briefing at the hotel where the Bush-Musharraf meeting would take place.
Several Pakistanis, who had been arrested on the basis of random search and suspicion, are in jails indefinitely because the US Law enforcement agencies have been given sweeping powers by the US Congress since the Sept 11 attacks.
Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Maleeha Lodhi told reporters that hot lines had been established at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington and the Pakistan consulate in New York to hear such complaints so that the issue could be taken up with the appropriate authorities. But, she added, only a few Pakistanis had so far registered their complaints.
Gen Qureshi also wanted to ascertain the number of Pakistanis who had died in the World Trade Centre disaster, but he got conflicting reports which said some 33 to 53 Pakistanis who lost their lives.
TALKS WITH VAJPAYEE: Responding to a query,Maleeha Lodhi said:” There is no effort going on from our side for a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee,” adds APP.
“Not at all,” she said. Asked if there was any pressure from any side in the matter, she said: “There is no pressure. We don’t respond to pressure.”
The ambassador further said that no meeting between Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar and his Indian counterpart Jaswant Singh was on the cards.”We stand by our invitation, but as President Musharraf has very aptly said, it takes two hands to clap,” she added.
Maleeha Lodhi said that , according to President Musharraf, the Afghan issue had three aspects linked to it: ongoing military action, future political process and a multi-ethnic broad-based government and economic-cum-humanitarian work which was required to be undertaken in the post-action period.
“While military objectives needed to be achieved, sensitivities connected with military action during the holy month of Ramazan must be considered,” she said.
