November 21, 2001	Wednesday	Ramazan 5, 1422

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WASHINGTON, Nov 20: Three more Pakistani nationals have been detained by US authorities, bringing the total number of Pakistanis in custody so far to nearly 70.

These are cases of which the Pakistan embassy has been informed and relate only to Pakistani nationals, not to US citizens of Pakistani descent, hundreds of whom are also said to be in custody. Almost 90 per cent of the Pakistani nationals detained are being held on immigration charges.

The three new cases, reported over the weekend, concern Syed Farooq Ahmed, 33, held in New York; Khwaja Mahboobur Rahman, 47, in Baltimore, Carroll County; and Qaiser Rafiq, 39. in Suffield, Connecticut.

A Pakistan embassy press release says that contact has been established with the FBI, the State Department and the relevant detention centres to provide the requisite consular assistance to the three detainees. The embassy has urged Carroll County Detention Centre officials to provide medical treatment to Mahboobur Rahman, who is suffering from high blood pressure. US officials at Suffield, Connecticut, have neither confirmed nor denied Qaiser Rafiq’s arrest. However, the embassy says it has been inquiring about his welfare from the officials concerned on the basis of the information provided by Mr Rafiq’s family.

The Baltimore arrest is reported to be purely on immigration charges, while the other two cases relate to unspecified suspicions. But it is stressed that none of the three cases is linked to the Sept 11 attacks.

Both information and consular access relating to Pakistani nationals held by US authorities is said to have improved recently following demarches from the embassy.

In some cases, arrested Pakistani nationals have waived their rights to consular access, presumably because they hope to seek asylum in this country.

Meanwhile, the three city officials of Pakistani descent whose houses were raided last week in Chester, Pennsylvania, are handling their cases on their own, without Pakistan embassy intervention.