From the Pakistan embassy website:
What if my last entry to the United States was not legal (without inspection and admission), do I have to register? This category applies to those Pakistanis whose entry to the US was not on a valid visa and they crossed the border.
No. The current Registration requirements apply only to aliens who have been inspected by an Immigration officer and admitted to the United States.
WTF?
I saw this same thing mentioned in a legal discussion group that I belong to. I can’t figure it out.
Well if you sneaked over a border somewhere the US doesn’t know you exist, goes without saying, right?
I think it’s the website’s way of saying “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO YOURSELF!?”
I am not surprised at the advice it self, just the fact that the Pakistani embassy needs to give this advice or that it even should.
IMO they’re doing a service, embassies can’t turn a blind eye to the fact that thousands of their citizens are illegal. Wouldn’t serve anybody to just say “go on, turn up” and then see them deported.