February 8, 2003	Saturday	Zul Hijjah 6,1423

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NEW YORK, Feb 7: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri said on Wednesday that he had been told by US officials that the administration has agreed to extend the registration deadline for Pakistanis.

Talking to reporters outside the UN Security Council chambers, Mr Kasuri said that a formal announcement to that effect could be made in a day or two.

It is also possible that Pakistan, who had applied for the adjustment of their status under the Clinton administration’s 245 (I) amnesty programme, would be accommodated.

Besides, he said, US immigration officials would be asked to show flexibility in deciding cases of Pakistanis in minor visa violations. However, it is learnt that those Pakistanis with criminal records and involved in fraud would be deported.

Under a new law, enacted on the first anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, nonpermanent residents from 25 nations need to register with the INS.

Visitors from these mainly Muslim nations are also fingerprinted and photographed. These records are then matched with an FBI databank for criminal records and possible involvement in terrorist activities.