ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: The government on Wednesday approved the much-awaited ‘re-admission agreement’ which will empower the European Union (EU) to crack down on Pakistanis living illegally in Europe.

A senior cabinet minister told Dawn that the cabinet approved the draft agreement which would be signed by Pakistani interior minister with his EU counterpart.

The immediate impact of the agreement would be a large-scale deportation of Pakistanis from Europe, which may have a negative impact on remittances and may also create social problems.

Pakistan and EU had signed the Third Generation Agreement — a trade plus agreement a few years ago. But the EU had linked the implementation of the agreement with the re-admission agreement before entering for any negotiations on bilateral trade.

The draft was first placed before the cabinet in 2004 for consideration. More than 12 points were pointed out in the draft for re-negotiations with EU authorities. Most of the issues were resolved by negotiators of the two countries, the minister added.

Under the agreement, the EU could repatriate those immigrants who held Pakistani passports or the nationality but were living illegally in Europe.

However, Pakistan would not accept those people, particularly Afghan refuges, Bengalis and others living in Europe who got Pakistani passport for settling in any European country, and would be sent to their country of origin, the minister said.

A senior official said that the implementation of the agreement would pave way for setting up a ‘joint commission’ to discuss bilateral issues related to trade.