A Fremont man has been deported to Pakistan for lying about his academic bona fides and posing as a Nobel Prize nominee in order to secure a green card, immigration officials reported Monday. Although prosecutors once claimed Shehrezad Faruk Czar had ``association with at least one leader of a recognized international terrorist organization,'' Monday's news release called it a ``controversial Pakistani political group... linked to several acts of violence.''Czar, 38, arrived Saturday in Pakistan aboard a commercial flight, according to the Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in April and pleaded guilty in September to making fraudulent statements in order to obtain legal permanent residence here.
| He falsely claimed to have graduated as a medical doctor from Dow Medical College in 1987. He also claimed in his visa application that he had been nominated for a Nobel Prize for ``outstanding research in applied economics, quantum physics and mathematical sciences,'' and had earned doctorates in ``quantum economics'' and ``econo-physics'' from the ``University of Berkley.'' |
San Francisco ICE Chief Counsel Ronald LeFevre said ``those who use fake documents and fraudulent information to obtain visas and gain immigration benefits are stealing a precious gift from the American people. Beyond that, visa fraud poses a serious threat not only to the integrity of our nation's legal immigration system, but also to the security of our country.''
Prosecutors filed court documents in April to prevent Czar's release on bail, claiming Czar admitted knowing and e-mailing Altaf Hussain, the founder and leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM): a Pakistani political party representing Urdu-speaking Muslims and allegedly responsible for crimes including murder, kidnapping and at least one bombing. But neither the MQM nor Altaf Hussain — living in exile in London — are on State and Treasury department lists of foreign terrorist organizations and individuals.
Ibad Rehman, a Virginia lawyer for the MQM, said in April he knew of no other U.S. court filing in which the government had claimed the MQM is a terrorist group. This case's claims were a ``100 percent different position'' than that taken by U.S. diplomats in Pakistan, he said, and any claims that Hussein faced criminal charges or was responsible for violence are ``untrue.''
The MQM, which holds seats in Pakistan's National Assembly, issued a statement in April saying it's ``the only political party in Pakistan which is openly challenging and peacefully struggling against religious extremists,'' and has ``unconditionally supported the international community and the United States in the war against terrorism.'' The investigation found that while Czar received public assistance from Alameda County since April 2003, he received an overseas cash transfer of almost $10,000 in late 2005.