81 Pakistanis denied entry into Russia over financial deficit

Russian authorities denied entry to 81 Pakistanis yesterday on suspicion of visa rules violations and also due to lack of finances to stay in Moscow.

According to Dawn, this was the second group of Pakistanis to have been disallowed entry to Russia in as many days and the deportation of the two groups has sparked a mini diplomatic row with the Pakistan embassy in Moscow lodging a protest with the Russian foreign ministry.

A group of 84 Pakistanis businessmen had reached Moscow on Wednesday night for purportedly attending an exhibition, but were detained at the Domodedovo Airport by Migration Service of the Russian Federation on suspicion of 'visa rules violations'.

Russian media stated that the group didn't have enough money to stay in country and had been denied entry for not having enough funds to support their stay in Russia.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that while authorities were working to resolve the issue witht eh Pakistani nationals, the preliminary information indicated that their documents did not match the purpose of their visit to Russia.

Earlier on Wednesday, another group of 48 Pakistani passengers was deported from Vnukovo Airport to Islamabad via Istanbul.