WASHINGTON, Oct 8: African-American lawmakers, whose community had pioneered the civil rights movement in the United States, assured the Pakistani community on Friday that they would work together to end forced deportations and other discriminatory practices against them.

The assurance, given at a fundraiser for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), the second most influential lobby on Capitol Hill, follows arbitrary arrests and deportation of Pakistanis and other Muslims in the wake of 9/11.

"We do not succumb to the paranoia that exists in this country as a result of the war on terrorism," said Congressman Al Wynn who heads the CBC's political action committee.

CBC's vice-chairperson Sheila Jackson Lee said there was something wrong with the system when a person seeking asylum was forced out of the country without a judicial review.

"We are with you in this struggle," said CBC chairman Congressman Elijah E. Cummings while responding to a complaint by one of the hosts, Ameena Khan, that Muslims, particularly the Pakistanis, were feeling more and more marginalized since 9/11.

Congressman Wynn said that America's strength lay in its diversity and the Muslims were a very important part of this diversity. "We need to work together to ensure that we have fair immigration laws and that the Muslim and Pakistani Americans are not discriminated against," he said.

Congresswoman Lee, who is also co-chairperson of the Pakistani Congressional Caucus, announced that 55 US lawmakers had already joined the caucus which, she hoped, would play a key role in promoting Pakistan's interests on the Hill. "We have a lot in common. Let us build on this friendship," she said while pledging to work with the Pakistani community.