ISLAMABAD: The Federal Government is almost ready to welcome those Pakistanis who are residing in UK and Ireland illegally after signing bilateral agreement for return and readmission between the two countries, well informed sources told this correspondent.

Cabinet Division recently submitted to Cabinet that draft bilateral agreement on returns and readmission between Pakistan and UK was received through Ministry of Foreign Affairs and first round of discussion to finalise the text of the draft Arrangement was held on October 2, 2019 during visit of the Permanent Secretary, Sir Philip McDougall Rutnam, Home Office, UK. Thereafter, consultative meetings were held with all the stakeholders as well as with the officials of British High Commission, Islamabad.

Both sides reached a consensus and the agreement had been finalised. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had conveyed their no objection from political point of view with the following suggestion: In Para 17, the following text outlined in italics may be incorporated in the first sentence of the para “where the returnee had committed a serious criminal offence in the United Kingdom and an—assessment had been made by law enforcement of the United Kingdom, through a judicial process, that the person poses a risk to public safety.”

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While vetting the subject Agreement, Ministry of Law and Justice had substituted the word ‘Party’ with ‘Participant’ in Para 12 of the Agreement. Rule 16-(1)(h) of the Rules of Business-1973, prescribes submission of international instrument(s) to the Cabinet for approval to sign the negotiated/agreed instrument(s).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022