Islamabad (dpa) - Pakistani authorities on Thursday sent back 30 migrants to the European Union who had earlier arrived by plane in Islamabad after being deported from the bloc, officials said.At least 26 migrants were returned to Greece while the remainder went to Bulgaria and Austria, the Pakistani Interior Ministry and the EU mission in Islamabad said.Authorities refused to allow the people to disembark when they arrived at the airport in Islamabad.The deportations came after Pakistan last month suspended a 2010 agreement with the EU that allows the bloc to deport Pakistani citizens entering the continent illegally. Islamabad cited its "blatant misuse."Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the 30 people were sent back to the EU because they had been deported from the bloc without meeting all legal requirements.EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos had visited Pakistan about two weeks ago to try to stitch up things as both sides agreed to revive the 2010 agreement.But they decided to revisit some of the clauses to address Pakistan‘s concerns.The EU mission in Islamabad said Pakistani embassies in European countries issued travel documents to the deportees before they boarded a plane.Pakistani authorities sought to verify their local identities when the deportees arrived in Islamabad, which was not part of the 2010 agreement, the mission said.Thousands of Pakistanis go to Europe illegally every year in search of a better life despite the threat of arrest and deportation.
