Russia detains, deports 130 visiting Pak traders

dubai — A recreational tour to Russia has turned out to be a nightmare for 130 Pakistani traders as they were detained at the Moscow airport and deported despite having valid travel documents.

Karachi-based mobile phone distributor Muller & Phipps sent its vendors on a week’s recreational tour after they achieved their sales targets.

The company told Khaleej Times that most of the businessmen had obtained their visas from the Russian Consulate in Karachi. But the immigration officials at the Mos- cow airport rounded up the visitors and deported them in two batches.

While 84 were deported to Istanbul Thursday morning, the remaining travellers, who were lodged in a room at the airport without food and water, were sent back on an Emirates flight, which left Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport at 5.34pm local time and was expected to arrive in Dubai at 11.49GMT.

Of the 130 businessmen, 80 are from Karachi, 35 from Lahore and the remaining from Islamabad and its neighbourhood.

“We spoke to the Russian Consulate in Karachi and they said the Pakistanis stranded in Moscow and deported from there have valid visa for Russia,” Tauqir Raza Shah, head of administration and security for Muller & Phipps, said over the phone from Karachi.

“I believe there is no reason to deport them as they have valid travel documents,” Shah said, adding that the travelling group also included seven employees of the company.

“Earlier this year, we sent a couple of people to Moscow on a recreational tour and they returned happily,” he said. This happened for the first time, he added.

Established in 1912, M&P is one of the leading distributors in Pakistan. Every year, the company sends target achievers to different countries as sales incentives, Shah said.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia Qazi Khalilullah said the embassy came to know about the stranded Pakistanis at around 8pm on Wednesday night. “We raised the issue with Russian Foreign Ministry at the same time,” he added. The ambassador pledged to extend all support to them.

The Pakistan Foreign Office said the ambassador in Moscow was in constant contact with the Russian authorities for consular access, which was granted, while a Russian-speaking embassy official also met the stranded passengers.