Pak citizen who contested Assam polls arrested

Guwahati, Aug 3 (UNI) A Pakistani citizen, who contested the 1996 Assam Assembly polls, was arrested by the State police after a recent Gauhati High Court judgement exposed the failure of the state government in detecting and deporting illegal immigrants. ''The alleged Pakistani national, Md Kamaruddin, was arrested from his Morajhar residence yesterday,'' Nagaon district administration sources confirmed.

He is being sent to Karimganj in southern Assam for deportation to Bangladesh through a border point in that sector.

A Gauhati High Court judgement last week said din, who had sneaked into India from Bangladesh after arriving in Dhaka on a Pakistani passport, had contested the 1996 Assembly elections from Jamunamukh constituency in Nagaon district.

Kamaruddin had gathered such political and financial clout that he had contested a Foreigners' Tribunal order of deportation passed in 1998 itself.

He was reportedly pushed back to Bangladesh in 1998 and 2000 but had managed to return to his wife and family. His wife is an Indian and his children are also Indians by merit of their birthplace.

The issue had rocked the political scenario, with political as well as non-political parties drawing sword against the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government.

Facing the ire from all quarters, Mr Gogoi had yesterday reviewed the present status of detection and deportation of foreigners in the state and ordered a foolproof system.

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