LONDON: Strong representations against the campaign in a section of the British Press to malign Pakistan in connection with the illegal immigrant traffic have been made by the Pakistan High Commission to the British Government.

The latest example of this campaign is the deportation of two so-called Pakistanis from the Island of Jersey who arrived during the weekend with forged Turkish passports. According to reports in the British Press, “they claimed that their correct names were Hassan Singh and Sarup Maraha”.

These newspaper reports which also said that “during interrogation by local immigration officials the Pakistanis admitted their nationality” were deplored today [Sept 18] by Mr Abdul Qayyum, Press Counsellor at the High Commission.

Innocent Pakistanis have been harassed in Britain as a result of the anti-Pakistan campaign in the newspapers here. Representations against this campaign were made recently by Mr Afzal Iqbal, Deputy High Commissioner to Mr David Ennals, British Minister in charge of Immigrants Affaires.

[Meanwhile, as reported by our correspondent in Dacca,] The government has decided to prepare a master plan on surface and ground water resources of East Pakistan and has entrusted the work to a team of FAO experts.

The team, which is at present here, has already started work on this project which is expected to be completed by the end of the current Plan period.

The proposed water survey, when complete, will provide valuable information on water resources of the province the lack of which is now causing difficulty in the way of planned irrigation in some areas.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2017