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Pakistani officials protest over 'airport clamp'

MANAMA, May 24, 2015

Pakistani diplomats claim passengers from their country are being subjected to increased security screening upon arrival at Bahrain International Airport, a report said.

The allegation has been denied by the Interior Ministry, but the Pakistani Embassy says an increased number of Pakistani arrivals have been singled out for medical screening and referred to Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) for tests, reported the Gulf Daily News  (GDN), our sister publication.

Customs officers last month arrested three men who arrived in Bahrain from Pakistan, two of whom were allegedly transporting heroin worth more than BD150,000 ($395,000) in their stomachs.

Embassy community welfare attache Maqsood Qadir Shah said there had been several complaints about increased screening since a group of Pakistani travellers were stopped by immigration officers on May 9.

"Bahrain has the right to check whoever it wants, it is their national security," said Shah.

"But what we as an embassy take issue with is the inconvenience it is causing our nationals. If they want to check with X-rays then there should be a machine in the airport to do that.

"We had a complaint come in where a number of Pakistanis were taken to SMC (on May 9) and had to spend the night there until all the procedures were finished, all the time being denied access to the toilets.

"From what we hear the whole process usually takes around four to five hours. If this kind of search policy is to be adopted then the equipment should be in the airport."

He revealed the embassy was now planning to raise the issue with Bahrain's Foreign Ministry, although the Interior Ministry has denied specifically targeting passengers from Pakistan.

"The concerned directorates of the Interior Ministry do not discriminate between travellers," an Interior Ministry official told the GDN.

"On arrival, if a special search is carried out it is based on suspicious behaviour or tip-off information rather than nationality."

However, one Pakistani passenger who was among those referred to SMC for medical screening following his arrival on May 9 said he felt he was singled out because of his nationality.

"I landed in Bahrain excited to see my family, who were all waiting outside," he said on condition of anonymity.

"I was just about to walk out (to the arrivals area) when one officer stopped me and a few other Pakistanis with me.

"They took us to a room and said we had to be checked, but they didn't have the equipment at the airport to do it so they were taking us to SMC.

"It took hours and we were not allowed to go to the bathroom until we got there. It was so uncomfortable, especially after a long flight.

"In all honesty I feel a little targeted because all the other people with me were Pakistani."

He explained that once at the hospital his chest and abdomen were X-rayed and he was given a blood test.

On Monday one of the three men arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle heroin into Bahrain was remanded in custody for 15 days while investigations continue.

The Pakistani, 32, was arrested on April 9 and led police to two other men waiting for him outside the airport,

All three were X-rayed and 65 heroin capsules, weighing 500gm were allegedly found in the 32-year-old's stomach.

One of the other men was found to have swallowed 85 capsules of the drug and the 32-year-old told prosecutors he was promised 80,000 Pakistani rupees ($790) for helping smuggle the drugs into the country. – TradeArabia News Service




Tags: Bahrain airport | Customs |

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