December 3, 2003	Wednesday	Shawwal 8, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday urged the immigration authorities of developed nations to avoid discriminating against Muslims.

President Musharraf’s comments came after the United States scrapped rules introduced after 9/11 attacks requiring visitors from 25 Middle Eastern countries to register at intervals with authorities.

“In the post-9/11 period, while regulating international migration, immigration authorities of the developed countries should not target Muslim migrants as a group,” a foreign ministry statement quoted Gen Musharraf as saying during a meeting with officials of the International Organization for Migration.

The president said around 350,000 Pakistanis would seek employment abroad in 2004. He stressed the need for coordinated international efforts to stem human trafficking and illegal migration, the statement said.

He also apprised the delegation, led by IOM director-general Brunson McKinley, about steps Pakistan was taking to alleviate poverty and create a job market.—AFP