WASHINGTON, Jan 3: Pakistan Ambassador to US Ashraf Jehangir Qazi has said Pakistan government and its embassy has taken up with the US authorities the new INS registration process, under which certain categories of Pakistani nationals are required to register themselves with the INS from Jan 13 to Feb 21, 2003.

In a letter to the Pakistani community living in the US, Qazi stated that the foreign minister recently met the US Ambassador Nancy Powell and expressed Islamabad’s shock and concerns to her. Similarly, President Pervez Musharraf is also in touch with the US Secretary of State Colin Powell and President Bush on the issue.

“I have met senior officials in the National Security Council, the Justice and the State Departments during the last two weeks. Embassy officers are also in touch with the INS. Our main thrust has been to get Pakistan removed from the list of those countries whose nationals are required to get themselves registered with the INS. Such meetings are going to continue,” he said.

“In Pakistan too, the President has conveyed the community’s concerns to the highest level of the US Administration. At all levels, the US side has been told in no uncertain terms that Pakistan’s nationals appear to have been singled out as a target of the United States Department of Justice as well as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) for enforcement of the new and stringent policies.

“It has been conveyed to them that the inclusion of Pakistan in the list is offensive to Pakistani opinion and unnecessary for the purpose of ensuring the national security of the US. It is unacceptable to us. Pakistan is a frontline ally of the US in Operation Enduring Freedom; it does not deserve to be humiliated by inclusion in such discriminatory lists,” Qazi said in the letter.

“It has been emphasized to the US side that Pakistan’s inclusion has sent shock-waves through the law-abiding and peaceful Pakistanis in the United States, which has one of the lowest crime rates of all ethnic communities and has no links to terrorist organizations.”

He further said that the US side had taken note of the Pakistan’s concerns on the issue and Washinton had promised to look into the matter. They had also promised that all countries whose nationals required visas to enter the US would be included in the list and that more countries would be added to the list in the first week of January.

The letter said that embassy officers had also been meeting immigration lawyers and a large section of community members who were likely to be affected by the registration process. It said a consensus had developed that the US Government should ensure that the following categories of Pakistani nationals should have immunity and exemption from detention and harassment:

a) Those who applied for legalization of their status under the Clinton-era amnesty law;

b) Those who applied for labour certification under provisions of USlaw; and

c) Those who applied for change of status under laws governing family ties.

d) Those H1 visa holders or F1 students who have had minor blemishes in their immigration history, eg, having missed semesters, having worked off campus or in case of H1 visas, having been out of job for a limited period of time.

“Discussions are also being held with the US side regarding permission for embassy officers/lawyers to be present at major registration points on specific dates, so that the Pakistani community feels safe and is assisted in the registration process.

“A community meeting is also being held in the Pakistan Embassy in Washington on Jan 4 to discuss the registration issue with members of the community,” the letter concluded.—PPI