ISLAMABAD: Eight Pakistan nationals residing illegally in the United States have been deported to Pakistan, Islamabad said Friday, with a diplomat calling it the first such flight since Donald Trump returned to power.
“We can confirm that eight Pakistani nationals, who were staying illegally in the US, have indeed returned yesterday,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan told a press conference.
A Pakistani diplomat confirmed that this was the first such flight since Trump’s second term began in January.
“But (it is) not the first ever as in 2019, several such flights also arrived in Pakistan,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during the election campaign and began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling entry to the United States.
On his first day in office the Republican signed orders declaring a national emergency at the southern border with Mexico and announced the deployment of more troops to the area while vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”
The White House has also said Trump plans to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in US history.
In addition, Trump’s administration has halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.
Islamabad says eight Pakistanis deported from United States
https://arab.news/gdr5n
Islamabad says eight Pakistanis deported from United States
- Diplomat confirms this is the first such flight since President Trump returned to power
- White House says the US president plans to carry out a mass deportation operation
Pakistan, ADB ink $61.8 million agreements for three development projects
- Agreements pertain to the upgradation of ML-1 railway link, key bus project in Quetta and water sector development in Balochistan
- Pakistani official says projects will “significantly contribute” to long-term, sustainable economic growth, address infrastructure needs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday signed agreements for three major development initiatives worth $61.8 million to boost connectivity, urban transport and water sector in various parts of the country, state-run media reported.
The two side signed agreements relating to project readiness financing for the Karachi-Rohri Section of the Main Line-I, a critical link needed to transport copper and gold from the Reko Diq mine in southwestern Pakistan to export hubs, for $10 million.
Another project readiness financing agreement was signed for a bus rapid transit project in the southwestern city of Quetta worth $3.8 million. The last agreement pertained to additional financing for the Balochistan Water Resources Development Sector Project, which amounts to $48 million.
“The secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, expressed appreciation for ADB’s role as a trusted development partner, and its continued support to Pakistan to complement the development agenda of the country,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
He said the critical projects would “significantly contribute” to Pakistan’s long-term and sustainable economic growth, address urban infrastructure needs of the provincial capital of Quetta, and enhance agricultural productivity in Balochistan.
ADB’s Country Director for Pakistan Emma Fan appreciated Pakistan’s commitment toward development initiatives.
“She also reaffirmed ADB’s continued commitment to working closely with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and other stakeholders to ensure its support remains aligned with Pakistan’s development priorities,” APP said.
ADB has undertaken initiatives to support Pakistan’s economic recovery by strengthening its public finances, social protection systems and helping Islamabad with its post-flood reconstruction efforts.
The bank says it has committed 764 public sector loans, grants, and technical assistance to the South Asian country totaling $43.4 billion to date.
