LONDON: With tens of thousands of
migrants pouring into the continent from war-torn Syria and Afghanistan,
Europe has firmed up plans to deport tens of thousands of illegal Pakistani
migrants who have been seeking asylum in various countries of the region.
With Pakistan enjoying relative political stability under Nawaz Sharif, the European Union feels that
migrants from the south east country should make way for refugees with more legitimate asylum requests.
As per a report in The Washington Post, the main driver behind the move against
Pakistanis is to free up space and resources for the more 'deserving' refugees.
The report further added that Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, was in Islamabad to deliver the message on the impending move.'
However, it is not the first time
Pakistanis are being pushed out by the
EU - about 168,000 illegal Pakistani
migrants were ordered to leave
EU region between 2008 and 2014.
The
EU official stressed, however, that the agreement will not affect legal Pakistani migration. European countries admit about 50,000
Pakistanis annually for family reunification, guest-worker programs, higher education and other residency requests. Applications for those positions must be made in Pakistan,
Reference: Washington post