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To:	president@whitehouse.gov
Subject:	Requirement for Registration of Pakistani’s with the INS
Message:	The President, Mr. George W. Bush The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20500 Re: Requirement for Registration of Pakistani’s with the INS We, the United States citizens of Pakistani origin and Pakistani citizens residing in this country, are writing to you to register our protest against the recently announced INS registration requirements for men of certain age and backgrounds. These requirements are another step in the march towards the erosion of our constitutionally protected American civil rights, and are creating anxiety and a heightened level of distrust amongst the immigration population toward our government. We fully support our right to take measures to protect the Homeland, after the unprecedented and deplorable attacks on September 11, 2001. However in our eagerness to respond to this challenge, we must be careful not to destroy the very principles that we are striving to protect. We must point out that such caution is not being taken. Let us refer to the recent announcement of the requirement for of Pakistani origin to register with the INS. Pakistan is a country which has courageously joined the Global War against Terrorism, at the cost of significant peril to its own internal security and stability. It has stood steadfast with the US, providing US forces bases to operate in Pakistan, carrying out joint Pakistani police-FBI raids to apprehend scores of Al-Qaeda terrorists continuously. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is on record that he will provide Pakistani assistance to the war against terrorism, as long as it takes for the war to achieve its goals. Including Pakistan on the list of countries whose non-immigrant citizens need to register with the INS is sure not the way to treat a reliable ally? This is against American principles of fairness and goodwill, and will surely alienate Pakistan Americans here. At this critical time, we need Pakistan’s continued support. There are signs that the new elected government of Pakistan is willing to sustain this support which was initially offered by President Musharraf. However, if we spurn the US Pakistani community by enforcing a registration requirement on them which should be meant only for terrorist countries, not only are we jeopardizing their continued support, but we are negating the principles of fairness and goodwill that America stands for. Reports have emerged from California that hundreds of people who turned up at the INS offices to register have been arrested. Instead of identifying terrorists, the INS in some local offices is using the special registration procedure to identify and detain people are on path to permanent residence but “out of status” – sometimes through no fault of their own. It makes no sense from security or resource perspectives to target people who eventually be granted lawful status because they have applications pending for lawful permanent status. Surely, this cannot be an example of American justice and fairplay? This unjust registration requirement placed on the Pakistani community must be reversed. We request your immediate action on this matter to ensure that Pakistan is taken of the list of countries requiring registration, and the entire special registration policy is revisited.