42 deported Pakistani migrants arrive in Sialkot from Turkey

Dunya News

At least 450 people belonging to Gujranwala Division are still in Turkey jails.

SIALKOT (Dunya News/AFP) – As many as 42 Pakistanis deported by Turkish government have reached Sialkot today (Wednesday).

Dunya News efforts have started to pay-off as 42 stranded Pakistanis who were detained by security forces while crossing border illegally to reach Jordan with the help of human traffickers have arrived in Sialkot. 

However, at least 450 people belonging to Gujranwala Division are still in Turkey jails.

On the other hand, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is interrogating from the released Pakistanis.

Earlier, Turkey promised to take back all irregular migrants landing on the Greek islands since March 20 -- a figure which currently stands at about 6,000 -- while Europe has agreed to resettle one Syrian refugee directly from camps in Turkey for each Syrian deported.

In return, Turkey is set to receive benefits including visa-free travel for its citizens to Europe, promised by June at the latest.

Turkey is also to receive six billion euros ($6.8 billion) in financial aid up to the end of 2018 for the 2.7 million Syrian refugees it is hosting.

While questions remain over how successful the deportations will be in the long-term in discouraging migrants from making the treacherous journey to Europe, the numbers arriving in the EU have fallen drastically in recent weeks.

This is largely due to an increased clampdown by Turkey on people smugglers and a greater effort in stopping migrants from crossing land and sea borders into Europe.

State media reported this week that 400 smuggling suspects had been arrested so far in 2016, and more than 65,000 migrants intercepted at sea and on land.


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