KARACHI, Aug 9: The students and faculty of Binoria University International, Site, have appealed to the government to review its new visa policy which is not only causing multiple problems to the foreign students studying in religious institutions but also bring bad name to Pakistan for closing its doors on foreign students to acquire knowledge.

Referring to the new visa policy, the chief of Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia Pakistan and central leader of Ittehad Tanzeematul Madaris Dinia, Maulana Muhammad Hanif Jalundhry said that since its announcement on Aug 1 the students were facing hardships due to denial of re-entry and extension in their visa. Besides, he said, new students were also being denied visa.

He said that religious institutions were concerned over the policy as it negated the very objective of creation of Pakistan and also violation of the commitment made about allowing foreign students to complete their education.

Reiterating determination to defend the right of foreign students to get education in Pakistan, he said that in every period of crisis the Madaris had always stood behind the army and warned that the government was trying to pit the army against their own people.

BUI Principal Mufti Muhammad Naeem said with each passing day the despondency among students were increasing as there were many students who were studying in their final year while others had been studying for two or more years. Now when they were being denied visa, they were in a fix as their future was threatened.

He said that they were in the process of mutual consultation before announcing their strategy to meet the situation as they would not allow forced repatriation of their students. He warned that if their demands were not met the Madaris reserved their right to challenge the government orders in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and in the international court of justice.

In-charge of the foreign students faculty at the BUI, Maulana Abdul Majeed termed the visa policy autocratic, unjustified and oppressive and said that it was against the interests of Ummah and the country.

He pointed out that it was not the decision of any assembly but of an individual, who had not taken the elected representatives into confidence, and as such the policy stood rejected.

Some of the foreign students Farhan Khadim, Afzal Shaikh, Shahzad Iftikhar, Muhammad Yusuf, Noor Elahi and Mehbub Elahi from the US, Muhammad Murshid from Madagascar, Burhanuddin Asri and Muhammad Ayub from Thailand, Adam from Somalia, Ishaq and Idrees from China, Asad from Australia, Muhammad Zaeem from Fiji Islands, Hashamuddin and Yahya Ezuddin from Malaysia, Hasan Jan and Fakhruddin from Tajikistan, Fazlullah and Muhammad Yasir from Sri Lanka, Ejazullah from Canada and also girl students had asked why they were being deprived from acquiring knowledge in Pakistan.

Urging the government not to spoil their future, they made passionate appeal for reviewing the new visa policy so that they could complete their education.