ISLAMABAD, July 5: Pakistan has decided to immediately sign an agreement with United Kingdom on re-admission of managed Pakistani immigrants following threats from British government to deport all the illegal Pakistani immigrants in the UK and stop PIA flights.

However, Pakistan has sought a re-assurance from the British government that it would not disturb or apply the new law to Pakistanis who were in UK, though illegally, before the date of signing of the agreement, official documents made available to Dawn suggest.

The agreement is aimed at controlling the increasing number of illegal immigrants to the UK through strong networks of human smugglers who use various illegal means to transport poor Pakistanis to UK at huge costs.

The federal cabinet led by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz last week also directed Pakistan’s High Commissioner to UK Dr Maleeha Lodhi to arrange meetings with various leaders of Pakistani community to explain to them the salient features of the proposed law and signify to them as to what stricter measures had been withdrawn by the UK on the request of Pakistan government including retrospective application of the law to the existing immigrants.

Under the new law, Pakistan would be required to re-admit illegal immigrants of Pakistani origin to UK and verify the nationality and documentation of travel of these immigrants within four months of a formal notice by the UK. In return, however, the British government has unequivocally refused to offer any job quotas to Pakistanis but has agreed to adopt a liberal policy on issuance of work visa wherever possible. Accordingly, a substantially increased number of visas were being issued in all categories, which had made the UK visa section in Islamabad their biggest visa issuing post in the world.

The cabinet was informed that unless the new law was signed by Pakistan, “the government of UK could return all the illegal Pakistani immigrants in UK and/or close the flights of PIA to UK”. The cabinet was also informed that similar MOUs had already been signed by India, Afghanistan, Turkey and Sri Lanka with UK and there was no discrimination against Pakistanis.

At present, there is no law under which the UK could return illegal Pakistan immigrants although tens of hundreds of Pakistanis manage every year to reach UK on forged documents and through other means of human trafficking or stay there beyond timeframe allowed under the visa.

Under the proposed agreement, the British government will appoint liaison officers in British High Commission in Pakistan to bring prosecutions against individuals or institutions implicated in immigration crime including offences relating to document forgery, travelling under false identity, human trafficking, illegal entry and the facilitation of such acts.