ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: There has been a significant drop in the number of Pakistanis seeking asylum in the industrialized countries, show the UNHCR asylum statistics for the second quarter of this year.

According to latest statistics on the asylum trends released by the UNHCR, Pakistanis, Turks and Iraqis are among the leading groups that recorded sharp decrease.

The trend can be ascribed to the increasing stringent rules and racial profiling in the industrialized nations, particularly in the US, following the Sept 11 terror attacks.

Pakistanis were down 48 per cent, (this was almost entirely due to a steep drop in numbers in North America rather than Europe), and Turks were down 15 per cent.

However, among the countries of origin, the most dramatic decrease was in the number of Iraqis seeking asylum — down 43 per cent compared to the first quarter, notes the UNHCR report.

It shows the industrialized country asylum statistics for the second quarter of this year continues to follow a pronounced downward trend. In both the European Union, and in Europe overall.

The number of asylum applications was the lowest since the UNHCR started collecting quarterly data at the beginning of 1999, the UNHCR report containing the new figures points out.

The 29 industrialized countries covered by the report, minus Italy, showed a drop of 12 per cent asylum seekers between April and June compared to the first quarter, it maintains.

During the second quarter of this year, the EU countries saw a drop of 16 per cent following on from a 17 per cent drop in the first quarter.