Pakistani asylum seekers

[Nitin Goyal]

According to a UNHCR report, an increasing number of Pakistanis are seeking asylum in other countries.

As many as 39,982 persons had taken shelter in other countries, said the report.

Of these 20,017 applied for asylum.

Earlier this month, chief of the UK Border Agency Rob Whiteman, on a two-day visit to Pakistan to discuss irregular migration issues, disclosed that the number of applications from Pakistanis claiming asylum and refugee status under the international law is "increasing alarmingly."

Many of these applicants may be economic migrants.

But the fact that both UNHCR and British government have noted a sudden increase in Pakistani asylum seekers shows there are other reasons behind the trend.

The unsavoury reality is that there is growing lawlessness and consequently a general sense of insecurity not only among those living in the extremists-infested tribal areas but in different other parts of the country.
The worst affected are sectarian and religious minorities.

It is hardly surprising therefore to see reports of some Hindu and Sikh families emigrating to India and Christians applying for refuge in Western countries.

ANP Senator and human rights activist Afrasiab Khattak noted the other day that 50 Hindu families had left Balochistan because of incidents of kidnapping for ransom while some other people had fled the country because of fear of persecution and extra-judicial killings.
He also pointed out that members of Quetta's Hazara Shias and other religious communities feeling threatened, were either leaving their native areas or moving abroad.

There are countless other incidents of Shia doctors dying in targeted killings in Sindh, and Christians coming under attack from religious extremists in Punjab.

Just last month, 18 Shia passengers on Gilgit-Baltistan bound buses were ordered out in the Kohistan area to be gunned down.
Things have come to a point where even some of the mainstream religious scholars felt compelled to take refuge abroad for fear of persecution.

This shines a light on the level of intolerance that has come to dominate this society.

When in formal conversations almost all religious parties/groups leaders assert that Islam stands for protecting minorities.

In practice, silence is their preferred mode of response to various incidents of violence against minorities and others holding views different from their own.

Be that as it may, the government has the primary responsibility to provide safety and security to all its citizens.

It takes credit for pursuing politics of reconciliation, yet the conciliatory element has remained focussed on self-preservation rather than creating an atmosphere of peace and amity.

The UNHCR report and the UK official's assertions underscore the need for all concerned to address the situation and make this country safe and livable for all those who call it home.

Pakistani asylum seekers | Business Recorder

Pakistanis are top asylum seekers, says UKBA

ISLAMABAD - The number of applications from Pakistan seeking refugee status in the UK has increased as compared to any other countries’ asylum seekers, a senior British official has said. UK Border Agency (UKBA) Chief Executive Rob Whiteman revealed this during an exclusive interview as he visited Pakistan last week on a two-day official trip. At the head of his delegation, Rob met and worked with his counterparts chiefly on irregular migration. “Main issue at the moment is that the number of people claiming asylum and refugee status under the international law from Pakistan is increasing alarmingly,” Whiteman said when asked about a typical problem from Pakistani visa applicants.
“When we look into the applications most of them were the people who were not eligible to seek asylum in UK,” he told Online. “It could be an agent’s idea or a trend amongst the scrupulous agents,” he added. “If someone is genuine asylum seeker the UK government would definitely look into one’s case sympathetically,” he maintained. According to him, his organisation valued the work that it carried out with agencies such as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). “We have a shared agenda on dealing with the issues of irregular migration,” he added. He said that in the UK, “we see problems of irregular migration and we take action in relations to irregular employment, sham marriages, and bogus colleges. It is really worthwhile being here to deal with these issues”.

Pakistanis are top asylum seekers, says UKBA | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia

Pakistanis are top asylum seekers, says UKBA

ISLAMABAD - The number of applications from Pakistan seeking refugee status in the UK has increased as compared to any other countries’ asylum seekers, a senior British official has said. UK Border Agency (UKBA) Chief Executive Rob Whiteman revealed this during an exclusive interview as he visited Pakistan last week on a two-day official trip. At the head of his delegation, Rob met and worked with his counterparts chiefly on irregular migration. “Main issue at the moment is that the number of people claiming asylum and refugee status under the international law from Pakistan is increasing alarmingly,” Whiteman said when asked about a typical problem from Pakistani visa applicants.
“When we look into the applications most of them were the people who were not eligible to seek asylum in UK,” he told Online. “It could be an agent’s idea or a trend amongst the scrupulous agents,” he added. “If someone is genuine asylum seeker the UK government would definitely look into one’s case sympathetically,” he maintained. According to him, his organisation valued the work that it carried out with agencies such as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). “We have a shared agenda on dealing with the issues of irregular migration,” he added. He said that in the UK, “we see problems of irregular migration and we take action in relations to irregular employment, sham marriages, and bogus colleges. It is really worthwhile being here to deal with these issues”.

Pakistanis are top asylum seekers, says UKBA | Pakistan Today | Latest news | Breaking news | Pakistan News | World news | Business | Sport and Multimedia

 

[somebozo]

sad state of affairs in pakistan

 

[Nitin Goyal]

http://www.unhcr.de/fileadmin/user_upload/dokumente/06_service/zahlen_und_statistik/2011AsylumTrends-FINAL.pdf

 

[JanjaWeed]

Not surprised at all. What do you expect when your own PM says 'let them leave, who's stopping them?', instead of working for the betterment of his people!!

 

[Nitin Goyal]

I have surprised that china and russia are in top 5 nations...

 

[batmannow]

Nearly 100 Pakistani refugees freed from detention in Bangkok
News Stories, 6 June 2011
UNHCR - Nearly 100 Pakistani refugees freed from detention in Bangkok
© UNHCR/K.McKinsey
Thai immigration officials direct Pakistani refugees to waiting buses after 94 refugees were released from six months' detention.
BANGKOK, Thailand, June 6 (UNHCR) – Even though he's 35, Monday felt like the first day of his life for Pakistani refugee Tahir Mehmood. He was released after six months in an immigration detention centre in the Thai capital along with 93 other refugees, locked up merely for being refugees.

"It's like a new-born baby," said the former Ahmadi religious leader, a member of an oft-persecuted religious minority in Pakistan. "It's like a bird being released from a cage and flying free. I don't have enough words to express our feelings. You can just see them on our faces."

Smiling, a bit dazed, or crying with relief, the 94 Ahmadi refugees and two asylum-seekers – detained in police raids between last December and this February – were released on bail posted by a Thai refugee advocacy group. They included 34 children under the age of 12, one of whom was born in detention.

The release, under the umbrella of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, was spearheaded by the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand and the Thai Committee for Refugees.

"The UN refugee agency believes no refugee should be locked up simply for being a refugee, so we applaud any measure that gets refugees out from behind bars," said James Lynch, UNHCR's Representative for Thailand. "At the same time, we continue to work with the Thai government to prevent refugees from being arbitrarily rounded up and sent to detention centres."

Mehmood said he regretted the damage the time behind bars had done to his family. His two older sons, eight and six, were with him in a cell with 100 other men while his youngest son, not quite two, was with his wife in a cell packed with 300 women. They were able to meet as a family only once or twice a month.

Despite the hardships, he maintained an astonishingly optimistic attitude, grateful to UNHCR and other agencies for health care and the sporadic education his sons received.

"What can I say? Only 'thank you'," he said shortly before his release. He also credited Allah, his faith and the refugees' patience for bringing them all through detention in good spirits.

"Love for all, hatred for none, that is what our religion teaches," he said. "Whatever the situation, you should always hold onto your ethics and obey the officials wherever you are. That is what we tried to do inside this detention centre."

Mehmood also thanked UNHCR for fast-tracking the group's resettlement applications. Resettlement is one of the ways recognized refugees can be freed from immigration detention centres in Thailand.

The UN refugee agency has submitted the 94 refugees for resettlement in third countries, under one of the world's largest resettlement programs, which has seen more than 70,000 refugees leave Thailand to start new lives since 2005.

Besides posting bail, detainees (not only refugees) can be freed from detention in Thailand by deportation to the home country or travel to a third country, with the detainee paying the expenses in either case.

UNHCR's Lynch welcomed the initiative of Thai civil society to protect the rights of refugees. "We are glad to see Thai society rallying to protect refugees, who – having fled persecution in their homelands -- are among the most vulnerable people in this country," he said.

Because Thailand does not have a national refugee law, all foreigners who enter or live in Thailand without proper documentation are subject to arrest, prosecution, detention and deportation under immigration laws, even if they are registered with UNHCR as asylum-seekers or refugees.

By Kitty McKinsey
In Bangkok, Thailand

These ahMadi peoples, keep taking refuge from from,late 60s till now, all of their , fundings are from, EU & from USA, & personaly , known the fact,MOSAd had done, wonders for them!

 

[batmannow]

UNHCR disappointed at Australian decision to reopen detention centre for asylum-seekers
News Stories, 20 April 2010
UNHCR - UNHCR disappointed at Australian decision to reopen detention centre for asylum-seekers

CANBERRA, Australia, April 20 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency has expressed disappointment at the Australian government's failure to look at alternatives to detention for asylum-seekers arriving by boat who pose no health or security risk to the public. UNHCR, in a statement released by its Canberra-based regional office on Monday, also reiterated its firm opposition to the detention of asylum-seekers.

"The combination of mandatory detention, suspension of asylum claims and the geographical isolation of detention facilities such as Curtin Air Force Base in Western Australia – all without any effective judicial oversight – is a deeply troubling set of factors," UNHCR Regional Representative Richard Towle said.

The statement said experience had shown that "these measures are likely to have a negative impact on the health and well-being of people affected by the latest announcements, particularly those already suffering from torture or trauma before arriving in this country."

The Australian government announced last week it would temporarily freeze asylum applications from Afghans and Sri Lankans arriving by boat and on Sunday said it would reopen the remote Curtin Air Base in the north-west to house them.

"It has long been recognized that prolonged detention, particularly in isolated locations, can have severe and detrimental effects on the health and psycho-social well-being of those affected," the UNHCR statement said.

The refugee agency, while acknowledging the operational constraints over the capacity of the detention centre on Christmas Island, said the choice of isolated Curtin Air Force Base as a detention centre would make the provision of essential social services very challenging, "particularly for those who may be in detention for six months or longer while subjected to the government's processing freeze."

The statement also said UNHCR cautiously welcomed the decision to move unaccompanied minors to community facilities in the southern city of Port Augusta as preferable to detention on Christmas Island.

"The detention of children is inappropriate and we hope that Port Augusta will be an open and community-based facility where essential services are available to protect the best interests of children accommodated there," said Towle.

UNHCR will continue discussions with the government on how to minimize the impact of its suspension of asylum claims and continued mandatory detention arrangements on the health and welfare of asylum-seekers in Australia.

More than 1,800 asylum-seekers have arrived in Australia by boat since the beginning of the year, mostly from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

How about that?

 

[no_koadsheding_plz]

this shows we are well ahead of indian ...Long Live Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

 

[Omar1984]

More illegal immigrants from India crossing border - USATODAY.com


Indians taking advantage of the great American Asylum scam « Refugee Resettlement Watch


More illegal immigrants from India crossing border | illegal, immigrants, india - Brownsville Herald


Authorities arrest 7 Indian asylum seekers | The Jakarta Post



Political Asylum Series: India

Political Asylum – Part I

Spotlight: India

I’m going to introduce a new segment to my blog readers. Many current and potential clients contact me or my office to discuss whether or not they have a legitimate claim to asylum in the United States. I am going to start a series on this blog to discuss previous asylum applications and the applicant’s country of origin so you can use these posts to help yourself determine if asylum is a possibility for you

This asylum post will cover asylum applications where the applicant is of Indian origin.

Political Asylum Requirements

Foreign nationals in the US who are unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, or membership in a particular social or political group may obtain asylum.

Examples of Successful US Asylum Cases Made by Indian Nationals

A married women who contracted HIV and fears her family will disown her or force her to get a divorce;
A couple who had an interfaith marriage, Hindu and Sikh;
Tamil males between the ages of 15 and 45;
A son whose father made a political speech which resulted in the father being beat up by the Bhindrawala Tiger Force (BTF); and
A Sikh man accused of supporting Sikh separatists and beaten and arrested by the Indian police.
We can help you win your asylum claim and obtain permanent residency (green card) in the US

Many Indian nationals have credible fear of persecution in India that can lead to an asylum approval. However, most asylum cases are denied due to applicants failure to articulate their fear and document events that have led to that fear. We have successfully helped many Indian clients and we are familiar with many circumstances that can lead to a successful asylum claim. In our experience, most asylum applications are adjudicated in 3-6 months. It is best, but not mandatory, to file your asylum application within the first 12 months of your entry to the US and while you have a valid immigration status such as a visitor or work visa. We understand the fear and the pain you’re going through and we’ll make sure that your asylum process is as painless as possible.


Political Asylum Series: India | US Immigration Blog

 

[Hyde]

This is going to be another troll fest.

There are more number of Indian asylum seekers so the thread is going to be diverted to Pakistan vs India