Deported Pakistanis will have to face the law

The rejection rate of Pakistani migrants seeking asylum in Europe stands at over 90 percent. DW spoke to a lawyer from Pakistan, Zia Awan, about why Islamabad is unable to control illegal migration from its soil.

More than 48,000 Pakistani migrants applied for political asylum in different European countries in 2015 and up to the end of January 2016. Because preference is being given to asylum seekers from war-torn countries, like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, prospects for Pakistani nationals are bleak. In 2015, the success rate for applicants stood at a mere 9.8 percent; in other words, more than 90 percent were rejected. This year, in January, it dropped even lower – with just 4.5 percent of asylum requests being granted.

So what happens to the thousands of Pakistanis who are stuck in different countries across Europe with little or no prospects for a future there?

A prominent Pakistani lawyer and human rights activist, Zia Awan, has worrisome tidings, saying that many deportees who return home will most likely be taken into custody because they left their country illegally and that is prohibited by Pakistani law.

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