27 January 2004	Tuesday	04 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Jan 26: The Sindh High Court disposed of on Monday a petition by 28 Bangladeshi immigrants in terms of an assurance that they would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

The immigrants said they originally belonged to East Pakistan and were settled in Karachi long before the dismemberment of Pakistan and the emergence of Bangladesh. They were citizens of Pakistan by any definition and could not be treated as aliens and compelled to register with the National Aliens Registration Authority (Nara).

They said they had all the genuine documents of nationality and were registered with the Nadra. Yet they were being harassed by the personnel of the so-called Bangladesh cell of a law enforcement agency and being forced to re-register with Nara.

Appearing for the provincial government, an additional advocate-general assured the court that no action in violation of the law would be taken and no one would face harassment at the hands of law enforcers.