LAHORE, Nov 6: The ARD deputy information secretary has drawn the attention of President Gen Pervez Musharraf towards the hardships facing the Pakistanis in the US after Sept 11 incident.

In a letter sent to the President on Tuesday, Munir Ahmad Khan said the FBI, police and the other American agencies were investigating Pakistanis for hours on flimsy grounds.

Genuine visa holders were being denied entry in the US, while the people were being arrested for violating minor immigration laws, he added.

He said the Pakistan government was extending full support to the US-led forces in attack on Afghanistan, ignoring all resistance at the local front, and as such Pakistanis genuinely expected a friendlier treatment from the Americans. But, he regretted, the US agencies were harassing Pakistanis at parks and other recreational facilities through unjustified questioning.

He urged Gen Musharraf to raise the issue with the US president during his forthcoming visit to America, highlighting the importance of immediate steps to alleviate the suffering of the Pakistanis living in the United States.

If the US agencies were not restrained from harassing and hounding Pakistanis, it would result in a backlash in Pakistan, he feared.