August 11, 2006	Friday	Rajab 15, 1427

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LAHORE, Aug 10: The interior ministry has asked the Punjab government to update it on the latest status of foreign students in various religious schools in the province, it is learnt on Thursday.

Punjab government sources told Dawn the ministry, through a letter, had sought the latest status of the foreigners in seminaries.

In December last, they said, the federal government had asked all the four provinces to expel 1,400 foreign students for their return to their respective countries. By December 30 — the deadline given by the ministry— half of the students were returned to the countries of their origin, the sources said.

However, the source added, the remaining half could not be repatriated due to resistance from the seminaries and their field organizations, which had refused to expel these students until the completion of their courses.

The sources said the latest ministry letter had asked the Punjab government to document all the foreigners, especially those without NOCs. Steps should also be taken to repatriate immediately all such foreigners who did not have the NOCs, the sources said quoting a part of the letter.

The letter added a total of around 700 foreign students were studying in Pakistani seminaries, half of them without the NOCs. The letter asked the Punjab government to collect latest details of all the foreign students studying in seminaries in the province, and furnish it to the interior ministry.

The Punjab government sources say the home department has contacted the provincial Auqaf department for setting up teams to visit the seminaries to check the status of the foreign students.

Meanwhile, the Punjab government in Dec last had listed 91 foreign students of seminaries in the province, who were required to be deported to the countries of their origin.

A Punjab government document made available to Dawn says the 91 foreigners are admitted to various seminaries in the Punjab, mainly in Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Lahore and Sheikhupura divisions. The document has also named the seminaries where the foreigners are getting education, which include Madressah Arabia Masjid Westlodge-II, Rawalpindi, Madressah Arabia Makki Masjid, Sahiwal Road, Gujrat, Madoodi Institute, Multan Road, Lahore and Madressah Arabia Raiwind, Lahore.

The document says the students belonged to Thailand, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Philippine, Malaysia, China, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Jordan, Portugal, Chad, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Tunis, Macadamia and Bangladesh.