PAKISTAN: Diplomats and intelligence agency refuse renewal of

passport of migrant nationals

All are residents of Grubenstrasse12, 3322, Urtenen-Schonbuhl, Switzerland Home

address in Pakistan: Village- Papanar, Tahsil: District: Sudhnuti, Post Office:
Trarkhal, Poonch Azad Kashmir, PAKISTAN

Names of alleged perpetrators:

1. Mr. Hassan Habib, First Secretary, Pakistan Embassy, Bern,

Switzerland 2. Inter Services Intelligence- ISI, Islamabad-PAKISTAN 3.
Directorate of Immigration and Passport (Head Quarters), Government of Pakistan,
Islamabad, PAKISTAN Date of incident: March 2010 Place of incident: Bern,
Switzerland

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the denial of renewal of passports

to the Pakistani citizens residing in Switzerland on the instructions of state
intelligence agency, the ISI.

I am appalled to know that the Pakistani embassy in Bern, Switzerland, has

accepted the passports of the seven Pakistani from a family of Pakistani citizen who
is on refugee status but denying to renew them since six months, which is gross
violations of freedom movement and rights of citizenships of the individual as well
as the right to leave, and return to, own country under Article 12 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The detail of the case is that Mr. Sardar Shaukat Kashmiri, chairman
of United Kashmir Peoples National Party was residing in Switzerland after getting
asylum in 2001 at the time of military dictatorship in Pakistan. His family, including
wife and children, migrated in 2002 as the family re-union of accepted refugee. The
passports of his family members expired in 2007 and the seven persons from the
family applied for renewal in the first week of March 2010 as the mother of his wife
was bed ridden. After receiving the passports, the visa officer at Pakistan embassy
at Bern, capital of Switzerland, asked them to come after one week as embassy has
to take clearance from foreign office in Pakistan. This practice of the embassy
officials was continued for several weeks and always saying that clearance has not
come. In the month of June, Sardar Shaukat contacted one Senator, Mr. Hasil
Bizenjo, to pursue the ministry of interior. Senator talked about the case with Mr.
Rahman Malik, the federal minister of interior affairs who asked the complaint in
writing. Senator Bizenjo submitted complaint to minister who directed on June 27
to director general immigration and passport to renew the passports.
The directorate general through Mr. Arfeen Zubair Minhas, assistant director
(policy) sent a letter to embassy of Pakistan at Berne on July first requesting it to
renew the passports. The letter from directorate of immigration and passport,
Islamabad, worked and Mr. Hassan Habib, the first secretary at embassy asked the
applicants to submit the fee for renewal of passports. The payment of fee means
that certainly passports would be available within three days. The fees for passports
were paid on July 5 and since then authorities in the embassy refusing to renew
and even declining to give back the passports to them. The applicants were
continuously contacting personally embassy staff but it was said that clearance
from Islamabad has not reached. The one staff from the embassy has told privately
to the applicants that because of Sardar Shaukat the intelligence agencies are
reluctant to give clearance for the renewal of passports. Sardar Shaukat again
contacted Senator Bizenjo who told him that ISI, the military intelligence agency, is
the main hindrance in clearing passports applications. He has been informed that
because of Sardar Shaukat the ISI would not give the clearance.

I am very shocked to know that when passports are issued from the government of
Pakistan than what was the need for embassy staff to get clearance from
intelligence agencies which means that still the state intelligence agencies are
monitoring every movement of the every citizens. The act of the Pakistani embassy
staff at Bern exposes the real governance in the country where the minister for
interior is more important, who is the real authority to issue or renew the
passports, but intelligence agencies are more important than ministry. The acts of
the Pakistani embassy staff at Berne are against the freedom of citizens of Pakistan
and tantamount to violation of fundamental rights of the Pakistani citizens to
choose to travel freely in their own country.

I urge upon you to renew the passports of the applicants as this the right of every
citizen of Pakistan and the denial of renewal tantamount the violations of basic
rights of the civilians. It is against the civil liberties and freedom of movement as
well. I also urge you to hold a probe in to the matter that how embassy officials
deny the basic right of the citizens and bring them before the law. The role of
intelligence agencies particularly of the ISI must be stopped who runs the parallel
government.
 
Yours sincerely,

Jamil Maqsood