WASHINGTON, 19 December 2002 — Pakistan said it would formally protest its inclusion on a US list of suspect countries whose citizens will be subject to tight new immigration control here. The US Justice Department added Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to a growing list of countries whose citizens are subject to additional scrutiny when they try to enter the United States.
The list also includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The Pakistani Embassy issued a statement saying it was "taking up the issue of inclusion of Pakistan in the list of countries whose nationals have been ordered to register.
"Demarches are being made to the Justice Department, the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the State Department," said the statement."
"In the meanwhile," it said, "all Pakistanis residing in the United States are requested to follow the guidelines of the Department of Justice."
The new rules, which vary according to country, essentially require citizens of the countries to register at an INS office, be fingerprinted and present additional documentation explaining their presence in the United States.
Attorney General John Ashcroft late Tuesday defended the new rules, telling CNN, "The United States is going to be more careful about its borders. We want to know who’s here and who leaves. We want to focus more on terrorism." (AFP)
