NEW YORK, Nov 1: An official at the Pakistan consulate in New York who was arrested last week is out of status since his request for the renewal of work permit has been denied, US immigration authorities said on Tuesday.

Consul General Shaukat Haroon, who has been pursuing the case, was told that Consular Assistant Mohammad Yunus Qureshi’s stay was illegal, the sources said.

Qureshi was picked by US law enforcement authorities outside the consulate on Thursday evening. He was handcuffed and taken to a detention centre in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Mr Haroon said he had contacted the detained official. He said that Qureshi told him that he had an authorization to stay before it was subsequently turned down.

“We are in touch with the authorities concerned and they are cooperating with us,” he said.

Mr Qureshi has been working at the Consulate General for the past 15 years, enjoys a good reputation and has never been in trouble with the law, according to his colleagues.