.:: SAMAA - Pakistani immigrant launches political party in Norway

OSLO: Norwegian-Pakistani Ghufoor Butt and his new political party, the Independent Labour Party aims to enter parliament as a voice for immigrants.

Butt accuses Norwegian politicians of neglecting immigrant issues and says the country's immigration policy has failed.

"These problems are really big problems. There should be someone, some good spokesman for them, who can fight for them," Butt told Reuter

in the capital Oslo on Sunday (April 26).

The newly founded party has 19 candidates on its list for the parliamentary elections in September this year. The candidates have various nationalities, including Norwegian, Pakistani, Egyptian, Vietnamese and Irananian.

The party is still developing its policies but improving the rights for immigrants is its main concern.

Butt says Norway has much to learn from the Pakistani culture, particularly concerning the treatment of elders. He said families cared for their elders in Pakistan, while in Norway they are placed in nursing homes where integration is non-existent. Therefore the Independent Labour Party has

proposed to set up separate nursing homes for Norwegian nationals and immigrants.

Butt also wants a more open immigration policy, with visas more readily available for those getting married.

The party has been criticised for lacking environmental focus and for its views on homosexuality. Norwegian daily, Dagbladet quoted Butt as saying

homosexuality should be illegal. Openly gay chairman of Oslo's government, Erling Lae, publicly criticised the statement.

Butt said he was misquoted and said he was not living in an Islamic country and therefore had to respect the Norwegian constitution, Norwegian law

and order.

"In Norway it is legal. So nor I nor my party do not have any problem with gays," he said.

The official election campaign will be launched in Pakistan on Thursday (April 30). Butt, known as a political journalist and actor before migrating

to Norway in 1974, will launch the campaign on Pakistani TV.

He says it's the first time a Pakistani has launched a political party that will play a role in a European country and could just be the

beginning.

"Maybe tomorrow in England, maybe the day after tomorrow in America," he added.

Despite the criticism, people in Norway are positive to a party founded by an immigrant.

Mohammad Sehah Nori from Afghanistan says he has spent three years trying get his residency approved.

Norway has recently gone through several debates about better integration of Islamic customs, including the use of hijab as part of the

police uniform.

The parliamentary elections take place on September 14. AGENCIES