US pushes for stricter visa controls on Pak-Britons, UK to resist move

Following revelations over the past few weeks that a large number Pakistani-Britons are linked with international terrorist organisations, including al Qaeda, America is contemplating to impose travel restrictions on nearly eight lakh British citizens of Pakistani origin.

Washington, May 3 : Following revelations over the past few weeks that a large number Pakistani-Britons are linked with international terrorist organisations, including al Qaeda, America is contemplating to impose travel restrictions on nearly eight lakh British citizens of Pakistani origin.

Omar Khyam, the bomb-maker and leader of the 7/7 plotters who was convicted on Monday, is a glaring example who is seen as "the classic UK-Pakistani connection that al-Qa'eda has focused on since 9/11. His training at a camp run for Kashmiris by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency gives him expertise. Al-Qa'eda gives him direction," reported The Telegraph.

British Foreign Office has, however, said that such a move on the part of the US would be resisted, because "any attempt to divide British citizens along ethnic lines would cause a massive diplomatic row".The Americans are said to be concerned that their principal security risk could actually come from Britain, with whom they operate a visa waiver scheme. Since 2004 Britons have been travelling to the US without the need of a visa if they possess a machine-readable passport issued since 1991.

However, recently, after taking into account the fear factors, the US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff reportedly told the US administration that British Pakistanis "should apply for a visa before travelling to America".

Last month, Chertoff had said in a newspaper interview that America was "vulnerable" to Muslim citizens of Britain and other European countries mounting terrorist attacks. Terrorists such as the four 7/7 bombers - three of whom were of Pakistani origin - could have used the waiver scheme to enter the US. "We need to build layers of protection and I don't think we totally want to rely upon the fact that a foreign government is going to know that one of their citizens is suspicious and is going to be coming here," the paper quoted him as saying.

Bruce Riedel, senior fellow at the American think-tank the Brookings Institution, echoed his concerns.

On Monday, five men - four with Pakistani backgrounds - were convicted of plotting to attack a shopping centre, a nightclub and other targets with home-made fertiliser bombs. Last summer, MI5 foiled an alleged plot for suicide attacks on transatlantic aircraft.

An estimated 400,000 trips a year are made by Britons of Pakistani origin to their ancestral homeland.

In a reaction to the proposed US move, a British Foreign Office spokesman said: "The Muslim community, including those of Pakistani origin, are an important part of our society and we would oppose strongly any proposal to single them out in response to the actions of terrorists.

We are in close touch with the US about entry clearance and they are aware of our view that changes to the visa waiver programme could cause economic damage to both our countries without materially enhancing the security controls over immigration. The visa waiver programme is certainly not a 'loophole', given the close co-operation between our security agencies."

The Foreign Office added that many British Muslims were already put off travelling to America for fear of an unwelcome reception. People of Pakistani or south Asian background are routinely picked out for special "secondary" searches and checks.

ANI