Funds for deporting Madrassa students released

LAHORE: The Punjab government has released the funds of Rs 30 million to the Home Department for deportation of 498 foreign students, studying in various religious seminaries in the province and whose visas have been expired, The News has learnt.
The funds have been released for buying air tickets and preparation of travelling documents. The decision regarding deportation of the foreign students, whose visas had been expired and were studying in various religious seminaries of Punjab, was taken at a meeting held on January 1, 2015 at the Home Department. Home Secretary had chaired the meeting, while Inspector General of Prisons Punjab, Additional IG Counter Terrorism Department, representatives of Foreign Ministry and others had attended the meeting.
Available documents revealed that it was decided at the meeting that the students Deeni Madaris whose visas have expired would be detained in the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, and Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore, till their deportation. Moreover, the Punjab government would bear all expenses required for issuance of visas and other documents required for their deportation to their native countries. The Punjab Home Department would work out the financial implication required for deportation of these students within a day and would initiate further process for provision of funds through supplementary grant.
Furthermore, the Punjab Home Department would share the list of foreign students whose visas have expired with foreign office to accelerate the process of their deportation. The CID would follow up the matter with DCP, Foreign Office, Lahore.
It was decided that the foreign students whose visas have expired and are living in different Deeni Madaris of Lahore, Pakpattan and Khanewal would be detained in Kot Lakhpat Jail, while the students of Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Attock and Chakwal would detained at the Adyala Jail. The IG Prisons would ensure to provide requisite space for the foreign students in these jails. Deputy Chief Protocol, Foreign Office, Lahore, would ensure that in case the students who did not have travelling documents, the foreign missions of concerned countries would be asked to issue passports and emergency travelling documents at the earliest. After completion of the required documents, the students’ deportation process would be carried out through the FIA.
The meeting was informed that at present 912 students are studying in various deeni Madaris of the province, out of them visas of 498 students have expired. As many as 672 foreign students are studying in deeni madaris of Lahore, out of them visas of 355 students have expired, 47 students in Gujrat out of them 28 are with expired visas, 57 in Rawalpindi out of them 42 have expired visas, Attock 31 out of them 18 are with expired visas, Chakwal 53 out of them 28 are with expired visas, Pakpattan 16 out of them 11 are with expired visas, Khanewal 18 out of them 16 are with expired visas. Similarly 12 foreign students are studying at deeni madaris of RY Khan and six at Faisalabad, however, all of them have valid visas.