Sri Lanka Controller of Immigration and Emigration
Chulananda Perera said that all overstaying foreign nationals including the
Pakistan and Afghan nationals who had applied for refugee status would be
deported.
Deporting overstaying foreigners is normal but how ethical
is deporting who have sought refugee status from a third party while
overstaying in Sri Lanka as a temporary measure.
Last week, the government took steps to deport five Afghan
nationals who had been overstaying in Sri Lanka, said the Controller of Immigration
and Emigration.
He further stated that there were 1450 Pakistan nationals
and 40 Afghan nationals overstaying. They have applied for refugee status from
the UNHCR office of Colombo and their applications are being processed.
They expect to migrate into another country after their
application for political asylum is accepted.
Sri Lanka police has already arrested some of these Pakistan
and Afghan nationals. They are held in Boossa and Mirihana detention centers
and interrogated to find any links with terrorism.
Many of these Pakistan nationals belong to Ahmadiyya Muslim
sect and they claim that they are under constant threat of the mainstream Sunni
Muslims. Pakistan is a Sunni Muslim state that has prohibited practicing Ahmadiyya
Islam. Ahmadiyya Muslims are constantly under threat of attack.
Sri Lanka has not signed the international conventions
regarding accepting refugees from other countries but it contributes to mass
exodus of refugees from the home country bound developed nations.
The refugees from Pakistan arrive here, obtain on arrival
visa, apply for refugee status from UNHCR office of Colombo and overstay here
for years sometime until the understaffed UNHRC office processes their
applications and grant them visa to migrate to another country. The practice of deporting them is very
unethical. They can be economic migrants per se the claim of the Pakistan
government. What if they are actually threatened people?
Sri Lanka government compelled to do so, I think, due to
pressure from the Indian government. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
as he met the Sri Lankan President after his swearing in ceremony that the
Muslim extremists who are in Sri Lanka are a threat to Indian security.
Sri Lanka government says that Muslim extremists also arrive
in Sri Lanka under the guise of threatened communities.
