India has drastically cut visas for Pakistanis

[Kuru]

Updated Dec 21, 2017 09:31am
India has drastically cut visas for Pakistanis
THE NEWSPAPER'S CORRESPONDENT

NEW DELHI: India said on Wednesday it cut visas to Pakistan drastically this year, issuing 18,000 fewer visas than in 2016, while Pakistan’s mission said it issued at least 6,000 more visas than before.

The Hindu quoted Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju as telling parliament on Tuesday that 34,445 visas for Pakistanis were issued in 2017, against 52,525 in 2016.

The reduced figures came despite several exceptional medical visas granted by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj after requests made to her on twitter.

The Pakistan High Commission officials told The Hindu that 45,519 Indians were issued visas by Pakistan till November this year, including 17,844 issued to Hindu, Sikh and Bohra pilgrims, and 573 business visas as compared to 39,321 in 2016.

There’s been a sharp increase in number of visas for Bangladeshis

There was, however, a surge in the number of Indian visas for Bangladeshis. As many as 1.28 million visas were given to Bangladeshis this year in comparison to 0.93m visas issued in 2016, Mr Rijiju said in reply to a written question.

The last time such a low number of visas were issued was in 2011 when 48,640 visas for Pakistanis were issued. In 2014 and 2015, India granted 172,536 visas to Pakistanis. The numbers in 2012-13 when the United Progressive Alliance was in power stood at 132,590.

An official explained there was a difference in number of visas issued and those who actually visited the country, as some postponed their visit or did not visit at all, The Hindu said.

The home ministry’s annual report said that 104,720 Pakistanis visited India in 2016. It said the decline came despite an agreement in 2012, when India and Pakistan had sealed a new visa agreement to promote people-to-people contacts. However, in August 2016, the ministry had put in place an electronic visa clearance process for Pakistani citizens.

The government did not say why the visas for Pakistanis were cut.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2017


https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1377918?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Areesh]

Surely this doesn't include visas Sushma aunty was giving to fake Twitter profiles through her twitter account

 

[N.Siddiqui]

from the article....

45,519 Indians were issued visas by Pakistan till November this year, including 17,844 issued to Hindu, Sikh and Bohra pilgrims, and 573 business visas as compared to 39,321 in 2016.


34,445 visas for Pakistanis were issued in 2017, against 52,525 in 2016.


So more Indians visits Pakistan as of now than vice versa...against the Indians perception.

 

[Jackdaws]

Surely this doesn't include visas Sushma aunty was giving to fake Twitter profiles through her twitter account

Proof or just guessing as usual?

 

[protest]

from the article....

45,519 Indians were issued visas by Pakistan till November this year, including 17,844 issued to Hindu, Sikh and Bohra pilgrims, and 573 business visas as compared to 39,321 in 2016.


34,445 visas for Pakistanis were issued in 2017, against 52,525 in 2016.


So more Indians visits Pakistan as of now than vice versa...against the Indians perception.

Yes, reasons are definitely neither economics nor persecution like the other way around.

 

[Baby Leone]

its cz Pakistanis dont apply for visas anymore.

but as per indians millions of Pakistanis visit mighty india every day and sushma unty gives this favor to Pakistanis and indians here dance like monkeys that Pakistanis are visiting india more but it seems the other way round

 

[Areesh]

Proof or just guessing as usual?

Well I have seen even Indians raising doubts about he profiles that keep asking visas from her. Many look fake and dubious.

 

[N.Siddiqui]

economics nor persecution

...another wrong perception, this will be quashed with time. What does it take to create wrong perception??

 

[khail007]

As there is no interest and will in improving relations on both sides, does it make any difference in status quo?

 

[Areesh]

What does it take to create wrong perception??

Being an Indian may be is enough

 

[Brickwall]

from the article....

45,519 Indians were issued visas by Pakistan till November this year, including 17,844 issued to Hindu, Sikh and Bohra pilgrims, and 573 business visas as compared to 39,321 in 2016.


34,445 visas for Pakistanis were issued in 2017, against 52,525 in 2016.


So more Indians visits Pakistan as of now than vice versa...against the Indians perception.

If you remove religious pilgrims, it will be less number of Indians visit your country

 

[N.Siddiqui]

If you religious pilgrims, it will be less number of Indians visit your country

hmm...it all adds up actually. I was replying to the fact that many Indians have written that no Indians/few Indians visits Pakistan in general and lots of Pakistanis in tens of thousand or in lacs visit India yearly...that wrong perception was proved false here...this was the point.

 

[Silverblaze]

The govt of Pakistan neither creates good medical facilities so people dont have to go there nor the govt makes a law that refuses to recognize marriages between pak citizens and indians. Shamelessness glore!

 

[alphaxyz]

jesus christ we are giving 1.28 million visas to bangladeshis, smh. No one knows how many are jumping boundary like chindi chors. Stay in your own country

 

[Bombaywalla]

Why does PIA insist on flying to Bombay and Delhi, when not a single Indian carrier could be bothered to fly to pakistan?