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Relenting to persistent appeals from Pakistan, the United States has begun deporting a large number of illegal Pakistani immigrants detained in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
The first batch of 132 prisoners of the total 150 arrived in Islamabad in a special flight from the US on Thursday night, media reports said.
The rest were expected to arrive shortly.
The deportees on their arrival narrated horrifying tales of harassment and torture during their detention and 20-hour flight, the reports added.
"They were brought in a chartered Portuguese airliner. Each one of them was shackled in the plane and were not allowed to even go to the toilet," a report in the Dawn said.
"On arrival, they were given Rs 500 each for conveyance, and led out of the airport building though an uncommon exit. Their relatives had been kept unaware of their deportation," it said.
A man, hailing from Pakistan's Gujarat, alleged that during detention they were subjected to third-degree methods of interrogation.
"Pakistanis in general were treated contemptuously in the US. Anyone caught speeding is suspected of being a terrorist and is detained for deportation," he said.
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