Pakistan and UK Sign Deal to Return ‘Foreign Criminals and Immigration Offenders’

In a major development, the governments of Pakistan and the UK have signed an agreement that will allow both nations to return each other’s citizens who have committed crimes or violated immigration regulations.

British Home Secretary, Priti Patel, and Pakistan’s Interior Secretary, Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, signed a deal while the Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, was also present on the occasion.

“I’m proud to have signed a new landmark agreement with our Pakistani friends to return foreign criminals and immigration offenders from the UK to Pakistan,” Home Secretary said on Twitter.

🇬🇧🤝🇵🇰 BREAKING:

I'm proud to have signed a new landmark agreement with our Pakistani friends to return foreign criminals and immigration offenders from the UK to Pakistan.

This deal shows our #NewPlanForImmigration in action, as we deliver for the British people. pic.twitter.com/UBK7gZ7Z9X

— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) August 17, 2022

The agreement, which is not an extradition pact, was first proposed by the Imran Khan-led  Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government last year and has now been approved by the UK. According to Tribune, the new deal cannot lead to Nawaz Sharif or Ishaq Dar’s extradition, because they are in the country for ‘medical treatment’.

While speaking to the media regarding the agreement, a Pakistan official said that the deal would allow the UK to deport Pakistani nationals who have committed crimes or violated visa rules.

It is important to note that prior to the signing of this agreement, the UK was unable to deport anyone who had been involved in any crime, whose visas had expired, or who had overstayed in the country.