Not a single Pakistani was among the over 22,400 foreign nationals who overstayed in the country last year while men and women from strife-torn Afghanistan accounted for over 50 per cent of those who preferred to stay here without official permission.According to government statistics, Afghans were at the top of the list with 11,852 of them overstaying in India while Bangladeshis (1083) and Sri Lankans (1050) came a distant second and third.Among the neighbours, Chinese accounted for 657 while 278 Myanmarese nationals were found overstaying in India. The statistics showed that no Pakistanis were found overstaying in the country last year, the list compiled by Union Home Ministry said.The "stateless" Tibetans, 172 in number, were also found moving around the country after the validity of their travel papers expired.People from the United States, Canada and Australia, the 'dream destinations' for a section of Indian professionals, also found it lucrative to overstay in the country.The Americans accounted for 880, Canadians 330 and Australians 164.Nigerians were another major chunk in the list with 854.Officials said a number of them were arrested in connection with drug smuggling.Men and women from France (283), Germany (177) and Singapore (152), tourist hotspots Mauritius (192) and Seychelles (112) and strife-torn Iran (123) and Iraq (106) also figured in the list.South Korea (263), Malaysia (248), Tanzania (194), Fiji (161), Sudan (148), Russia (133), Kenya (152), Oman (123) and Yemen (112) also figured in the list.Officials said powers have been delegated to state governments under Foreigners Act of 1946 to detect and deport foreign nationals staying in the country unauthorisedly.
