3004 Pakistanis detained in 17 countries for having fake travel documents, NA told

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior, Khusro Bakhtiar, on Friday informed the National Assembly that 3004 Pakistanis were languishing in 17 countries detention centres for possession of fake/false travel documents.

Giving countrywide details to the lower house during question hour, Khusro Bakhtiar, said that 393 Pakistanis were detained in Saudi Arabia, 22 in Qatar, 2234 in UAE, 30 in Poland, 5 in France, 13 in Slovakia, 3 in Singapore, 42 in Japan, 12 in Hong Kong, 2 in China, 213 in Malaysia, 6 in Egypt, 11 in Syria, 2 in Lebanon, 5 in India, 3 in Bahrain and 8 in Kuwait.

The Minister said that the list comprises the detail of the Pakistanis held abroad for illegal documents was compiled on January 20. He said the government was striving to check human trafficking. "The Ministry is trying to send as many as people on government level," he added.

Raja Pervez Ashraf objected that the Pakistanis held in a ship in South Africa were not mentioned in the list.

The Minister of State replied that it was a Spanish ship boarding several countries people including some Pakistanis anchored on the seashore of Mauritania. He, however, said that the actual number of these Pakistanis was not ascertained. He said the list comprising those Pakistanis held for illegal documents while the House would be informed about the Pakistanis detained in other cases soon.

Iran, Pakistan, Turkey and Greece are jointly working against human trafficking. A committee in this connection, he said, was formed under the chairmanship of Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao.

Parliamentary Secretary Food, Rajab Ali Baloch, informed the House that 51.5 million metric ton sugar crop was expected this year that would help enhance sugar production. He said the government has imposed 15 percent import duty on sugar.

Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education, Zubaida Jalal informed the National Assembly that the disabled people were not being given disability allowance. She said that the government was taking steps for the admission of physically disabled students in normal schools and for this, building code had been approved.

Federal Minister for Railway Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that the 38-kilometer Gujar Khan-Jhelum railway track would be made straight before the general elections. Similarly the Rawalpindi-Karachi track would be made straight before election.

The federal minister said that two incidents took place since he took charge of the office of Railway Minister and the reason behind that was the century old railway tracks.