Gen’s nephew gets 16-day detention for visa violation

He was required to register under an anti-terrorism programme that targets male citizens of a number of countries including Pakistan.

‘‘He reported … on February 19 as required by law and was detained because he had overstayed his visa,’’ said Bill Strassberger, spokesman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Musharraf, released on Friday, could be deported back to Pakistan or allowed to stay in the US.

He was one of 1,745 foreigners who were detained after registering under the anti-terrorism programme. The length of Musharraf’s detention — 16 days — is about average, Strassberger said. As of March 4, 1,22,510 people had registered under the programme that has been criticised for unfairly targeting West Asian men.

It requires visitors to be fingerprinted and photographed when they enter the US. Visitors from the targeted countries who were already in the US were required to register at immigration centres by specific dates.