Surge in Pak nationals seeking asylum abroad: Report

Karachi [Pakistan], Sept. 4 (ANI): Data released by Germany, England and the US has revealed that the number of Pakistanis applying for asylum in the three western countries have spiked in the last one year. The reports showed that over 10,000 Pakistanis had sought refuge in these three countries, with Germany topping the list of application, reports the Express Tribune. The data by the German Interior Ministry showed that 9,185 Pakistani nationals have applied for asylum from January to July 2016 which includes repeat applications from 156 people. According to reports, the number is nearly threefold increase from the same period in 2015 when 2,546 Pakistanis applied for asylum. With Germany already sheltering over half a million migrants, it is now turning away and deporting an increasing number of migrants in recent months. Reports suggest that Berlin turned away some 13,000 people, including 529 Pakistanis, at its land borders from January to July 2016 for having invalid documents. The data released by the British Home Office this week showed that Pakistanis applying for asylum was up from the 2,313 to 2,992 in June 2015 to June 2016, with only 16 percent of the applications approved. In the U.S. too, the arrival of Pakistani refugees witnessed a marked increase in 2016 with the data from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration showed that as many as 376 Pakistanis applied for refuge in the country in 2016. The number was up from 205 in 2015 and the highest at any point since 2011. So far, Pakistanis make up around three percent of the 2,83,078 migrant arrivals in Europe this year. In case of data, which classifies the refugees by religion, most of those who sought refuge were Ahmadis. At least 78 Christians also sought refuge in the country in addition to 33 Shias. Though the data mentions the number of asylum seekers, the reason for the same has not been mentioned. (ANI)