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Title: Need to review the short term tourist visas being given to nationals from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in view of their missing on arrival in India.
SHRI B. MAHTAB (CUTTACK): Thank you Mr. Deputy-Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to raise an urgent matter of public importance.
It is alarming to note that there are among a total 35,610 foreign nationals who have gone missing on arrival last year. An official statistics reveal a staggering 12,338 Bangladeshis, 11,845 Afghans and 4742 Pakistanis have gone missing after entering India in 2005. These are individuals who had valid papers, the number of those who may have sneaked in can only be guessed.
With some Pakistanis who went missing after a Cricket match at Mohali under the terror scanner adequate measure should be taken so that persons with terrorist links, perhaps, with active help from agencies like Pakistan’s ISI, should not take advantage of the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) initiated as part of the Indo-Pak peace process. It is said that 371 Pakistanis and 1082 Bangladeshis were intercepted and deported during 2005; but there are large number of foreign nationals who have gone missing.
We are informed through media that security agencies do not have any record of these foreign nationals as they entered on short term or tourist visas and are exempted from registering themselves with the Foreigners Regional Registration Officers (FRROs).
Does not the Government think that dispensing with this procedure, as part of CBMs with Pakistan and Bangladesh, has created a headache for security agencies? Already the Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil has expressed in the House that terrorists have taken advantage of buses and trains launched as CBMs to sneak in from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Though Government has released figures of missing people from 165 countries, the area of concern is the presence of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and a section of Afghani nationals. There is a need to review the short-term tourist visa being imparted to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
उपाध्यक्ष महोदय : श्री सर्वानन्द सोनोवाल।
श्री शैलेन्द्र कुमार (चायल) : उपाध्यक्ष महोदय, मेरा पाइंट ऑफ आर्डर है।
उपाध्यक्ष महोदय : मुझे पता है कि आपका पाइंट ऑफ आर्डर क्या है।
SHRI SARBANANDA SONOWAL (DIBRUGARH): Mr. Deputy-Speaker, Sir… (Interruptions)
श्री शैलेन्द्र कुमार : सर, मेरा पाइंट ऑफ आर्डर सुन तो लीजिए।
उपाध्यक्ष महोदय : आप कृपया बैठिए। मुझे मालूम है कि आपका पाइंट ऑफ आर्डर क्या है।
…( व्यवधान)
श्री शैलेन्द्र कुमार : उपाध्यक्ष महोदय, ८.०० बजे नोटिस लिया जाता है। बहुत से सीनियर मैम्बर्स भी आते हैं। मैं वॉक आउट करता हू।
19.34 hrs.
(Shri Shailendra Kumar then left the House)