December 06, 2007	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 25, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Dec 5: A group of 70 Pakistani nationals deported from the United States arrived here on Wednesday amid tight security.

These deportees remained handcuffed during their 36-hour long trip and had to face a tough time during their detention and deportation.

A Boeing 757 chartered flight carrying the 70 deportees reached Islamabad airport from New York at about 1pm. They were handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Immigration Wing, authorities who were present there with two prison vans.

Deputy Director Immigration Khalid Mehmood said some deportees would be released as they had already completed their sentences in the United States, while a few would remain in detention for further investigation.

“There were 40 deportees who faced criminal charges but had completed their sentences, while others had overstayed,” Khalid Mehmood said.

To a question about the rising number of Pakistanis who had been deported from Turkey in recent days, the deputy director immigration acknowledged that the crisis lay in the Spain-Turkey- Iran and Greece sector, but he was unable to give the number of Pakistanis facing deportation. However, he said the Pakistani embassy in the US was in touch with its nationals awaiting deportation and was arranging their travel back to Pakistan in order to resolve the problem.

One of the deportees, a resident of Karachi who gave his name as ‘Khan’, told Dawn that he had gone to the United States some six weeks ago on student visa but had not joined the university and was on job when caught by the US authorities.