February 26, 2003	Wednesday	Zul Hijjah 24, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: Pakistan on Monday clarified that the repatriation of “all Pakistanis” from Bangladesh was complete, and it was “now for Bangladesh to settle them (described as Biharis) in Bangladesh.”

The foreign office spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said this while replying to a question relating to Bangladesh’s decision to eject 3,000 “Pakistanis” from a camp which was reportedly set up illegally on government land in Dhaka.

Mr Khan maintained that all those people who “were classified as Pakistanis” had been repatriated to Pakistan by Islamabad and indicated that several hundred thousand others, did not fall in the category of those repatriated earlier. The spokesman indicated that there was not much that Islamabad could do owing to its economic constrains.

Commenting on the invitation extended to India to join the proposed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan pipeline project, the spokesman said that India was a “logical market” for selling the bulk of gas because those who sought to invest in such expensive projects, also looked for dividends and gainful return.

Asked about the foreign secretary Riaz Khokar’s recent visit to China the spokesman said it was in line with the regular bilateral talks between the foreign secretaries of the two countries. Iraq and the Pakistan-India situations were the main focus of the talks, he said.

Replying to another question, the spokesman said that M.S. Bhatti, Pakistan’s acting high commissioner designate in Delhi, was expected to assume office early next month.