“Pakistani asylum seekers bringing disgrace to the country”
Lahore | April 04, 2004 6:21:06 PM IST
http://www.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=35191&cat=Asia
A Pakistani-origin blind judge in Britain has lamented that Pakistanis were presenting an ‘abominable’ picture of their country by seeking asylum on frivolous grounds in the UK.
According to a report in The News, Dr Amir Ali Majid said most of the Pakistanis seek asylum in Britain to prolong their stay so that they could make money.
Towards that end they do not hesitate from concealing the truth and concocting facts even to the sheer disgrace of Pakistan, said Dr Amir, while addressing lawyers on the subject of “Political asylum in Europe: A cheap price of national honour” at the Lahore High Court Bar Association here.
Dr Amir, on whom the Pakistan Government had bestowed the “Sitare-e-Imtiaz” award, cited various judicial proceedings in which Pakistani asylum-seekers portrayed a “very negative image” of the country, which inspired in others a very bad opinion about this country and its system.
Terming the asylum a very serious issue, he said the Pakistanis in order to win ‘judicial compassion’ portray the courts at home as corrupt and that they are functional under a system which is hard to administer them equitable justice.
He said: “They do it without knowing how much damage they are causing to the national reputation, he said, urging the legal community in Pakistan not to help such people and direct its efforts towards curbing this trend.”
About asylum of Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain, he said that if repatriation of Altaf was wanted by Pakistan, the government could come in the field to defeat his asylum in terms of Article 33 of the Geneva Convention