Danish Journalist’s depotation saga
ISLAMABAD — In a new spin to the deportation saga of Danish journalist Ms Puk Damsgard Anderson, Danish Ambassador to Pakistan jumped into the fray to get the deportation orders of his countrywoman rescinded while Ministry of Interior was not putting its foot down to get the orders implemented.
Sources aware of the whole affair informed TheNation that deportation of Ms Anderson was deferred for the time being on the intervention of Danish Ambassador who had talked to the Foreign Secretary at the time when Islamabad Police was taking the lady for deportation.
They further informed that after receiving the April 3 directive of Interior Ministry, FIA Immigration officials had approached the Danish journalist and asked her to leave the country within a week’s time but she flatly refused to comply with the orders saying she would get the order reversed. She was thrice approached for compliance but when she kept refusing to comply with the orders, police had to be called in. She was taken into police custody from her residence in the Federal Capital on Friday last so that she could be deported back to her country by an early flight. But she insisted that she was in the process of getting the orders of her deportation reversed and she should be allowed to stay for the time being.
During the course of arguments, she telephoned Danish Ambassador, who setting aside all diplomatic norms, rushed to the spot and made the same request to the Inspector General of Islamabad Police who himself was carrying the lady to police station for fulfilling necessary legal formalities before her deportation.
In the meanwhile, the Ambassador sat with Ms Anderson in police van and said that he would also accompany her to the Police Station but in his telephonic conversation with Foreign Secretary, he told that the police was taking him to police station along with the lady.
Foreign Secretary then talked to the IG Police to have a detailed view of the whole affair and IG Police informed him that the lady was to be deported on the directions of the Ministry of Interior and he had the orders in that regard. The sources further informed that Foreign Secretary then talked to the Federal Interior Secretary and later the matter of Ms Anderson’s deportation was deferred till Monday and in this connection the Chief of Protocol in the Interior Ministry himself called the IG Police Islamabad and requested him to let her go.
Sources in the Interior Ministry said that the intervention of Foreign Secretary in the matter was out of place as the Interior Ministry had intimated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all other concerned departments soon after issuing her deportation orders.
The sources in the Ministry of Interior further said that the lady had already made several attempts to get her deportation orders cancelled but could not manage it as the reasons for her deportation were quite strong and above all, it was in her own interest to leave the country as her life here is in danger. The officials of Ministry of Interior said that they had given her time till Monday (today) and if she could not get the orders rescinded, they would immediately deport her.
Source: The Nation
Date:5/17/2010
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