Pakistan and the UK signed a major reciprocal agreement that would return foreign criminals and immigration offenders from the UK to Pakistan.
While the deal may improve UK-Pakistani law enforcement cooperation, some legal experts believe the deal will have a negative impact on Pakistan.
UK-based immigration law expert Mohammad Amjad told the media that the deal will lead to an influx of deported criminals from the UK.
“This is a very negative step for Pakistan,” UK-based immigration law expert Mohammad Amjad told the media.
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“Last year, the Pakistani government was presented with this deal and refused to sign it, because fundamentally it will allow serious criminals to be deported to Pakistan without critical information sharing. This will present huge problems for Pakistan,” Mohammad Amjad said.
Mohammad Amjad also cited the case of Sohail Ayaz, a convicted child abuser who was deported to Pakistan from the UK and managed to continue his criminal activities.
Meanwhile, Labour Party councilor and Immigration lawyer Moazzam Ali Sandhu said it appeared that the agreement was signed without Pakistan securing guarantees. He said the agreement said it was “reciprocal” however it fell short of explaining what Pakistan was getting out of it.
UK-Pakistan agreement
British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and Pakistan’s Interior Secretary, Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, signed the deal while the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK was also present on the occasion.
According to the details, the agreement underlined both countries’ ongoing commitment to tackling the issue of illegal migration and the significant threats it posed to both nations. The new policy will affect those Pakistani passport holders who are either involved in immigration offenses or organized crimes, including sex grooming and pedophilia.
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Secretary Priti Patel said that she was proud to have signed this new landmark agreement with her Pakistani counterparts, as it showed that the UK New Plan for Immigration was in action.
Our new 🇬🇧🇵🇰 agreement is about removing dangerous foreign criminals and immigration offenders who've no right to remain in the UK.
The British public have quite rightly had enough of people abusing our laws & gaming the system to prevent removals.
That's what we're changing 👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/r4CHkILihn
— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) August 17, 2022
“Our new Borders Act will go further and help end the cycle of last-minute claims and appeals that can delay removals,” she explained.