Travelling abroad on a Pakistani passport is becoming tougher by the day

[Rusty]

And What about Muslims invasion of lands of Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Spain and lots of others.. Massacre, killing, rapes were the norms those days and in any case, situation in any of the places you mentioned above is much better compared to those times. I can see that was the times of universal doctrine of live and let live type...

So don't cry about the game your own people started. Locals have gotten hold of some of their lands and rightfully so..

Silly Bharatis still believing in fairy tales based in nothing else but hatred.

 

[PakiRambo]

And What about Muslims invasion of lands of Israel, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Spain and lots of others.. Massacre, killing, rapes were the norms those days and in any case, situation in any of the places you mentioned above is much better compared to those times. I can see that was the times of universal doctrine of live and let live type...

So don't cry about the game your own people started. Locals have gotten hold of some of their lands and rightfully so..

you make it sound like muslims are the only ones who have ever invaded land

 

[Rusty]

you make it sound like muslims are the only ones who have ever invaded land

The funny thing is that they idolize an invader, murderer, and rapist so much that they put his wheel on their flag.

 

[Mech]

For Chinese citizens

For pakistani citizens

Blue marks visa on arrival

 

[OrionHunter]

Id like to visit indian punjab n goa some day.... but as i belong to a military background i think it wouldnt be possible?

What has a military background gotta do with you, unless you are an Ex Army official yourself? If yes, then I'm afraid you'll need to go through the grind of several verification procedures before getting a visa. That's the reality.

You see, the problem is that many retired Pakistani defence officers, especially from the Army are associated closely with the ISI. It is therefore natural that getting a visa to India especially for retired defence officials is pretty problematic.

 

[Roybot]

What has a military background gotta do with you, unless you are an Ex Army official yourself? If yes, then I'm afraid you'll need to go through the grind of several verification procedures before getting a visa. That's the reality.

You see, the problem is that many retired Pakistani defence officers, especially from the Army are associated closely with the ISI. It is therefore natural that getting a visa to India especially for retired defence officials is pretty problematic.

He's not. Just his dad in the Army IIRC.

 

[Hulk]

Well most Pakistanis I spoke here do not care for their image. This is side effect of it.
1) Keep denying that Kasab is your citizen for a month, made you look sheltering terrorist.
2) Punish the doctor help man OSAMA for 33 years.
3) Protest drone strike when senior AK leader is killed.
4) Do not start operation in NW.

 

[shelly]

Most people with their last names Khan have these kind of troubles. Nor we nor any of our relative had to go through these hardtimes any time at any airport.

we are talking about intl airports not lahore or karachi ones

ironic how khan is associated with terrorism while not a single major terrorist had that name

exactly , it should be everyone excpet khan actually

Ok lets c who is not following universal doctrine of live and let live type .

Westerners invaded Native Americans land in the name of discovery ,
Soviets invaded Muslims land namely Central Asia
Palestine is occupied by Isreahell
Kashmir is occupied by India
Afghanistan is occupied by by westerners
Daily drone attacks happening on Pakistan by westerners .
Iraq was invaded and occupied by westerners.
Libya is destroyed by westerners.


Now atleast I can clearly see who is not universal doctrine of live and let live type

go and pour water on ur face and take a brake from Fox News

but which of these countries talk about ummmmmmmmah

 

[Rusty]

looks like the Indian trolls have once again infested a perfectly good thread.
Not surprising, can't expect a creature of habit to change

 

[Avatar]

If Pakistanis do care and want this situation to improve, then they must strive to improve Pakistan's name in the world.
Look at the situation from the perspectives of the nations that are harassing you for something as little as a visa.
If Pakistan values economic development, then all kinds of terrorism, extremism and radicalism needs to be eliminated from the roots, no matter what the cost. For economic development, you need American support.
China can only take you so far, look at how it is helping North Korea. It is foolish to be so trusting of an ally that you have no other options left.

If all the radicalism and hatred is eliminated, people will automatically get engaged in activities that help the economy.. needless deaths will not happen anymore. There will be no need for drone strikes or any kind of unauthorized violence on Pakistani soil.

As we know, there are some stupid people who bring a bad name to the whole nation.. The thing is, it is also the fault of all the good people who watch all this happening passively.

India and Pakistan can help each other develop rather than bring each other down, and Kashmir really isn't worth all the fuss. The first step is to accept the present reality as it is from a global perspective, and work towards improving it.

The trust between USA-Pakistan is at an all time low, and it wise only to bridge the gap rather than fueling it further. The reason why Mahatma Gandhi disallowed any form of violence during the freedom struggle is because he knew that violence only brings tyranny. It is unwise to bank on Afghani extremists to kick out the Americans, and think that everything will be okay after that. In the benefit of Afghanis lies the benefit of US, and also the benefit of Pakistanis.

Once the mess is cleaned up, Pakistan has a clean image and a hustling economy, all nations will automatically welcome Pakistanis.. because then Pakistanis will not wish to live anywhere other than Pakistan.

 

[FaujHistorian]

Simple Question (before we complain about others).

Have we the Pakistanis created a tourist friendly environment in our own country?

Do Europeans feel comfortable spending time in Pakistan or buying property (vacation)?

If we can't control our Mooolah dawwgs from biting tourists in Pak, how can we expect others to treat our tourists nicely?

Having said that,

European and Americans still respect "genuine" tourists from Pakistan and do not hassle them.

Another advice for you.

Do not show up at international tourist spots without your wife /significant other.

Groups of men are not considered good tourists unless you are an undergrad and going to Florida for a spring vacation




peace.

 

[Donatello]

pride Daughter of the North West Malalai has proved that she is worthy of the name
*
Restriction on recreation
Travelling abroad on a Pakistani passport is becoming tougher by the day
By Aoun Sahi

Abid Hussain belongs to a well-established trader family of Islamabad and resides in E-11 Sector. He along with seven of his friends planned to go to Malaysia in March this year on a vacation. They contacted a tour operator who managed to get their visas after some hassle in two weeks. The group of friends left for Malaysia early April this year.

“We planned to go to Malaysia because it was out of question to get visas to some European countries. We were very happy and kept on planning how to spend our time there in Malaysia and joked around during the flight. But all our excitement vanished once we landed at the Kuala Lumpur airport,” says Abid Hussain.

The Malaysian authorities questioned them for two hours. They finally allowed only three of them to enter while ordered the other five to be deported from the airport.

In fact, “They sent back several Pakistanis travelling on that flight,” says Hussain. “They told us that majority of Pakistanis who come to Malaysia on tourist visas slip into their country and become illegal immigrants. So, they don’t allow people on tourist visas until they are not 100 per cent sure that the visitor is a genuine tourist.”

Travelling abroad on a Pakistani passport has become tougher in the last two decades.

The situation is not only affecting those who want to visit other countries for economic reasons, but also those who want to travel for recreational purposes especially in summer vacations.

It is not only the war on terror and the track record of Pakistanis in many terrorism activities abroad that alone is responsible for this.

“To get a tourist visa of any country has become difficult for Pakistanis because an overwhelming majority of Pakistanis slip into not only western countries, but also into countries like Malaysia and Dubai,” says Ali ****, who is a business partner in one of the country’s largest travel agency. “They also use forged or fake documents like bank statements and police reports to apply for tourist visas. It does not only create problem for genuine tourists but also tour operators. We have to pay fines of some kind to get our licenses restored because of these people. Lately, we have been facing severe issues with the Malaysian visas. Most of the time people succeed in getting visas but it has become difficult for them to convince the immigration authorities in Malaysia. I think almost 60 per cent people travelling on the green passport who have genuine tourist visas are being denied entry into Malaysia.”

Ali **** says the US, the UK and the European countries are particularly careful while granting visas — “These days the US and European countries are rejecting visas to more than 5 per cent of applicants, and the visa processing procedure usually takes months.”

Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, an NGO head based in Islamabad, who travels frequently to different parts of the world for work, says that getting visas in Pakistan is like getting loans from banks. “Those who need it are hardly able to get it as the process has become so complicated over the years.”

A tour operator and travel agent based in Faisalabad who has been in the business since the mid-1990s tells TNS that things have changed drastically for the Pakistanis trying to travel abroad for all purposes. “Everyone, from businessmen to tourists to students to job-seekers to pilgrims, has been affected. Tourists are among the most hit. They spend money to go somewhere to relax but it has become so hectic to get a visa in the first place and then the kind of grilling Pakistanis go through at entry points almost everywhere in the world has made it very tough.”

Syed Wahad Raza whose company arranges tours in the Middle East, tells TNS that his company did not receive a single application for a tourist visa this year, while when the company started, five years ago, the company started getting applications from April. Another reason is also that the expenses—airfare and hotel rates — have doubled during the last five years.

According to Raza, “In those days most of the countries, except Gulf states, used to stamp passports on arrival. Now there are less than 20 countries (mainly African countries and some SAARC countries) in the world that grant Pakistanis visas on arrival.”

Several Western countries’ embassies in Pakistan have scaled down their presence in Pakistan and some have scrapped their visa councillor offices altogether. The embassies now do not allow applicants to come straight to them to file the application. They ask the applicants to file applications along with pile of documents like bank accounts, property ownership details, return tickets, hotel booking confirmation receipts, proof of travel and health insurance, medical test reports and police reports through a courier service provider.

In many cases applicants are needed to fill online application forms as well.

Western countries have not only increased their visas fees manifold but have increased the processing time as well and applicants are asked not to bother calling the embassy to check the status of an application.

At present, the tourist visa fee for the US is Rs14,400 plus Rs1,500 courier charges and UK visit visa fee valid for six months is Rs9,750 (inclusive of FedEx charges) plus Rs200 bank charges. Visa fees are non-refundable while one also spends a good amount of money to come to Islamabad for the interview. For the US and other western countries an acceptance of visa applications does not mean that visas will surely be granted. For example, the US embassy after accepting an application gives a receipt to the applicant that clearly mentions that it can take several months to issue a visa and the embassy has the right to deny a visa even then if it is not satisfied with the applicant.

Another very important factor that makes travelling from Pakistan to Western countries cumbersome is the suspension of operations of all Western airlines from Pakistan after 9/11. There are hardly any direct flights from Pakistan to Western countries and Pakistanis have to travel on Middle Eastern countries which further adds to the cost of travel. For example it costs only Indian Rs 32,000 to 35,000 (around Pakistani Rs 60,000) to get a return air ticket to any European country from India. While these countries’ air ticket from Pakistan is not less than Rs 80,000 to 90,000.

Then there are several countries like Mexico which do not have their embassies in Pakistan and people have to travel to India or some other country to get a visa.

Different countries have introduced specific restrictions for Pakistanis who want to travel. India, has always been considered the most problematic country for Pakistanis to travel to and vice versa because of required documentation and security approvals, but even a country like Indonesia has made it essential for applicants to show a personal guarantor from Indonesia who needs to explain concerned authorities in Indonesia why he/she may be inviting a Pakistani to Indonesia. Cambodia also requires a personal guarantor for visiting Pakistanis.

Dubai fines a travel agent Rs 180,000 if a tourist overstays or slips.

Rumana Hussain , a regular international traveller and travel writer agrees that the situation has become tougher for Pakistani tourists to go abroad. “It depends on where one wants to go. For example India is our neighbour and the cheapest country to travel to but it is the most difficult country to get into. The situation is also different for people belonging to different age groups. Young people have been facing the worst situation. It is also true that visa processing for Pakistanis has become more complex and time consuming but better planning can help to overcome this issue. People should apply two-three months in advance and should fill the online application forms with full concentration. I think it would help those getting visas in time and less grilling at airports.”

I highly disagree with this. I know lots of people who go comfortably abroad, Europe or Far east. There is something that this guy is not telling us..........they don't deport you without a reason.

 

[shelly]

Do not show up at international tourist spots without your wife /significant other.

Groups of men are not considered good tourists unless you are an undergrad and going to Florida for a spring vacation :

peace.

an I assume you mean only 1 wife not all of them

 

[third eye]

Deportation is not something that happens lightly.

Maybe there was more to it.

Not that I am alleging that the poster at Post No 1 was involved but I have seen Indians & Pakistanis when traveling in groups to be at their worst behaviour. I recall an incident when flying by CHina Southern to G'Zhou I was aghast to see some indians who kept asking for more beer / whisky walk over to the rear & pick up a case of beer and split it among themselves. the Air Crew were obviously upset . At the destination I saw them being segregated and taken away. Wonder what happened to them.

Similarly, I have seen Pakistanis too misbehave when in groups.

Things like the skull cap, beard, gregarious behaviour and general lack of concern for others adds up to the stereotype.

I was ashamed of being an North Indian when at HK the gate for New Delhi was manned by five people ( others had a max of two) and placards were put up in Punjabi & Hindi asking passengers to stand in line & wait for the gate to open - still no one did , they only jostled their way in. The expressions on the face of the staff said it all.

BTW, the gate for Mumbai was orderly like any other.

 

[Nelson]

After the involvement in majority of all the terrorist activities in the world, what else do you expect and who else would you blame?

Its an obvious feeling which may come in the minds of the host country people. Though I was not expecting it from Malaysia.