Most foreigners staying illegally Pakistanis: Government

New Delhi: A seventh of the 28,356 foreigners found to be overstaying in India at the end of 2014 were Pakistanis, the government said on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijuju also told the Lok Sabha that the maximum number of foreigners deported from a single country in 2014 were from Nigeria.

The minister said in a written statement that 4,335 Pakistanis were found to be overstaying in India at the end of 2014, followed by Sri Lankans (3,857), South Koreans (1,772), Iraqis (1,625) and Americans (1,291).

Also in 2014, a total of 1,010 Nigerians, 989 Bangladeshis and 101 Pakistanis were deported, the minister said. The total number deported in 2014 was 2,847.

At the end of 2014, Tamil Nadu hosted the maximum number of overstaying foreigners -- 20,539. This was followed by Maharashtra (3,300). The total for the country stood at 28,356.

The minister said the issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh was regularly taken up with Dhaka.

He said steps had been taken for coordinated patrolling, identification of vulnerable gaps and strengthening of riverine patrolling.

Bangladesh had also been urged to take effective steps to check the illegal movement of their nationals into India, he added.