Ambassador told to appear before Senate panel: Issuing visa to Nigerian nationals
ISLAMABAD, May 19: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has asked the Pakistan Ambassador to Nigeria to appear before the Senate Standing Committee on Narcotics Control and record his statement about visas issued to African nationals, mostly Nigerians, who were allegedly found involved in drug trafficking.
The foreign minister, who appeared before the Senate committee on Monday, assured that his ministry would extend full cooperation in investigation of the matter.
Endorsing the system of parliamentary oversight of the performance of various ministries and divisions of the government, Mr Qureshi said that the standing committees were an extension of the parliament.
He also assured the committee that all documents relating to the case would be provided and no attempt would be made to cover up the issue at the foreign office.
He urged the national media to be careful in reporting sensitive matters, stressing that the country had to pay heavily for even slightest indiscretion. “Diplomatic sensitivities must be taken care of while reporting things in the press,” he remarked.
Procedure review
A participant told Dawn that members of the committee called for review of the procedure for issuing visa to Nigerian nationals and stressed that standard procedures be strictly followed.
They made it clear that the country or for that matter the Senate Committee had nothing against the people of African origin, but observed that no slackness should be allowed at airports or elsewhere which might tarnish the country’s reputation.
They also called for immediate deportation of all African nationals convicted in drug related matters after completion of their sentences.
“They should not be allowed to stay back in Pakistan and continue to spoil the future of our youth”, the senators observed.
It was pointed out that a large number of Nigerian nationals had been arrested in the country on drug charges during recent years and their number was on the rise.
Committee taken aback
The committee expressed surprise over reluctance of the foreign office to take up the matter at the government level.
The committee underlined the need for greater coordination among the security forces and anti-narcotics watchdog to fight the menace of narcotics trafficking and to remove misperceptions about Pakistan as a “transit state for drug barons”.
Senator Enver Baig expressed surprise that the Pakistani mission in Nigeria did not care whether an applicant fulfilled visa requirements.
In most cases, he said, the applicant was not asked to furnish relevant documents, like bank statement, letters from chambers of commerce and industry, nature of business etc.
Even the addresses given in some applications turned out to be fake.
It appeared that these were stamped whimsically and without taking into consideration the standard procedure being followed the world over for granting business visas.
Senator Kalsoom Parveen, the chairperson of the committee, said the future of the young generation was at stake. She said proliferation and use of drugs was a crime against humanity.
The government and the people must cooperate to eradicate the menace of drugs.
The meeting was also attended by Nisar A. Memon, Sardar Mehmood Khan, Mrs Tahira Latif, Saleem Saifullah Khan, Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, Abdur Rahim Mandokhail, Secretary Narcotics Control Abdullah Yousuf and senior officials of the Ministry of Narcotics Control, Anti-Narcotics Force and Pakistan Customs.