Russia has deported 48 Pakistanis yesterday. Other stranded Pakistani traders are likely to be deported today
MOSCOW (Russia) – Around 84 Pakistanis traders, being held at Moscow airport since early Thursday morning, are likely to be deported by evening, Pakistan Foreign Office has stated.
“The Foreign Office is in touch with the Russian embassy in Islamabad on the matter,” said FO spokesperson Nafees Zakaria.
More than 100 Pakistani businessmen were detained by Russian authorities at Moscow airport for eight hours. Pakistani businessmen were taken to Russia by a private company to take part in an exhibition.
Russia has deported 48 Pakistanis yesterday, who were part of a group that was held after landing in the country for a business trip, the FO spokesman said. He said the Russian government informed the Pakistan embassy in Moscow that 48 Pakistanis were being deported but did not give reasons for detaining them.
According to latest news, Russian authorities have issued boarding passes to the stranded Pakistani traders in Moscow on Thursday according to which the traders will reach Dubai and then to Pakistan via flight EK 604.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia, Qazi Khalilullah, has reportedly said that the Pakistan Embassy in Moscow was negotiating with the Russian authorities for their release.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Foreign Ministry to assist the stranded Pakistanis in Moscow. The ambassador guaranteed to extend all support to them.
Sources said that they were 188, of them 80 hails from Karachi, 35 from Lahore and remaining from Islamabad; one of the stranded traders fainted. The report further said that the Pakistani businessmen have been kept in a room at the airport without food and water.
Trader Abdul Mughees said the Russian Embassy had failed to dispatch visa details to Moscow because of which they are facing problems. No excuse was given by Russian authorities for detaining us, one of the trader said.
A video posted on a social media website showed the group of men being kept in a small room complaining they were not given any reason for their detention. ‘Some Turkish nationals who were also held by the authorities were later allowed to leave,’ a man said in a video.
This comes two days after terror attacks in Brussels, which killed 31 people and wounded 270, sending shock waves across Europe.