The Bush Administration asked Pakistan to expel more than 1,000 foreign students in 500 religious seminaries in line with General Musharraf's declaration in the aftermath of the 7/7 suicide attacks in London to oust all non-Pakistanis students from the Islamic schools. General Musharraf had to make this announcement under pressure from American and British authorities following the revelation that the London suicide attackers had visited Pakistan and attended seminaries in Punjab before the blasts on July 7, 2005. Yet, 15 months since the president's declaration, the fact remains that the Pakistani seminaries still host around 1,000 foreign students. According to diplomatic sources in Islamabad, the US demand for the expulsion of foreign students of madrassas came after the unearthing of the transatlantic bombing plot.
The sources said that in response to the American demand, the Pakistani authorities have replied that they have so far deported 470 of the 1,500 foreign madrassa students. The sources added that the rest of the students would be sent home if they failed to furnish surety bonds by their respective governments by the end of Ramadan, saying that they do not have extremist links and would not indulge in terrorism. According to the government sources, the ministry of interior had already sent letters to 50 countries through the foreign office seeking confirmation that the students were their nationals besides asking for the surety bonds on their behalf.