‘Terror plotters’ were allowed to stay in UK despite visa breaches

October 6th, 2009 LONDON - The raging row between Pakistan and Britain on the issue of delay in issuing visas to Pakistanis by the British authorities is expected to overshadow the anti-terror talks between both countries when the British Secretary for Home Affairs Alan Johnson meets Pakistani political leaders in Islamabad. Johnson, who arrived in Islamabad along with Defence Secretary Bob Iansworth on Monday, would meet Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other leaders to discuss several other issues apart from the visa row.

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan-based terrorists are exploiting Britain's shoddy visa system to come to the country. Pakistan is considered by Britain as the No.1 base for Islamic extremists brainwashing potential terrorists.

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - British anti-terror border controls were described as wholly inadequate after a newspaper revealed that only 29 out of 66,000 Pakistani immigration applicants were interviewed by British officials. Visa checks on immigrants from Pakistan were condemned as a sham after the Daily Mail said official figures showed that just 29 out of 66,000 applicants were interviewed by officials since Britain put in place a supposedly rigorous system last October.

August 12th, 2009 LONDON - A group of leading Pakistani politicians, businessmen and a band of pipers were refused entry into Scotland by the UK Border Agency, causing embarrassment for the Glasgow City Council. The UK Border Agency turned down up to 65 visa applications from three separate groups planning to visit Glasgow, The Times reports.

July 17th, 2009 Ruling: Court failed its duty to Muslim scholarNEW YORK — U.S. officials should have given a Muslim scholar a chance to show he was no supporter of terrorism before barring him from the country, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

April 14th, 2009 LONDON - A student visa scam has surfaced in Britain. A bogus college is reported to have sold places on fake courses to hundreds of Pakistanis seeking entry to Britain.

April 11th, 2009 LONDON - A witness has described how he saw two Asian men filming shoppers at one of the alleged terror plot targets two weeks ago. oe Hester, 44, said he was shopping in Manchester's Trafford Centre on March 26 when his attention was drawn to two "impeccably dressed" men who he thought were behaving oddly.

April 10th, 2009 LONDON - The 10 Pakistani nationals arrested in the United Kingdom for planning to carry out terror strikes in the country may have exploited the shortcomings in the visa regime as described by a British minister as "the major loophole in Britain's border controls." This is the first time Pakistanis on student visas have been arrested on such serious charges. Sources said that the arrests of 12 men in the north west of England on Wednesday were linked to a suspected plan to launch a devastating attack this weekend.

April 10th, 2009 LONDON - Pakistan has criticized Britain for its slack visa norms after it was disclosed that most of those who were nabbed during anti-terror raids in north-west of England were holding student visas. Pakistan's High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan said British authorities in were not doing enough to stop the illegal passage of people to the country.

April 10th, 2009 LONDON - Following the 9/11 incident the world saw Afghanistan as the hub of worldwide terrorism, but now the focus has shifted to Pakistan which experts believe is the origin of three-quarters of all terror plots. A report in The Telegraph states that at least three out of every four terror plots in Britain, which are being probed now, have Pakistani roots.

March 31st, 2009 LONDON - The British government Tuesday introduced a new strict visa regime for students from outside Europe amid a 30 percent rise in the number of Indians studying in Britain. International students in Britain last year paid tuition fees worth a total of 2.5 billion pounds.

March 12th, 2009 LONDON - Troubled singer Amy Winehouse, who was all set to perform at the Coachella festival in America, is facing a major setback after being denied the US visa, as she has been charged with assaulting a fan in the country. The 'Back To Black' hitmaker was overzealous about performing at the Coachella concert with talented entertainers like The Killers and Paul McCartney, but she was left saddened after being denied the visa for punching a fan.

March 10th, 2009 LONDON - Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse's plans for a massive American comeback gig were shattered Sunday night after she was denied a US work visa. Mirror.co.uk reports that Winehouse was due to play at the Coachella festival, California, next month but was told her entry would be blocked because she has been charged with assaulting a fan.

January 12th, 2009 TORONTO - Canada should reduce wait times for business visas from countries like India, China and Russia to boost trade with emerging economies, said a business report here Monday. In fact, imposition of visa requirements for foreign business people and delays in issuing them are hurting Canadian business prospects very badly, said the report by the independent think-tank Conference Board of Canada.

January 10th, 2009 LONDON - British authorities have rejected an asylum bid by one of the world's tallest women - a Pakistani who claims her height makes her a target of abuse in her home country. However, 7ft-2in tall Zainab Bibi will be allowed to stay on because the British home ministry is considering further claims from her lawyers, the Mail on Sunday reported.