KABUL - Some Afghan visa applicants in Kabul on Friday claimed that Pakistan’s embassy in the city has reduced the issuing of visas to Afghan nationals, stating that the embassy is providing visas only to those having illness and those paying money in exchange for a visa.
They said that the Pakistani embassy has made the decision following recent tension between the two countries.
“It's three days now that I am coming to the embassy, my father is very ill, he is a cancer patient. We want to take him to Lahore for treatment,” said Mohammad Ali, an applicant.
“We call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the president, the chief executive officer to put aside your differences,” said another applicant Hazrat Gul, asking the government leaders to focus on the issues facing the people rather than engaging in internal rifts.
“I have an eye problem, so I want to go to Pakistan for treatment,” said Babrak, an applicant.
But Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul, Zahid Nasrullah Khan, has said that over the past nine months, the embassy has issued 450,000 visas to Afghan citizens.
He also rejected rumors of corruption.
The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs meanwhile said that efforts are underway to address the problems facing Afghan nationals seeking the Pakistani visas.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on different occasions raised the issue in various meetings so that it got the attention of the Pakistani government towards this matter, to settle this issue,” said Geran Hewad, spokesman for the Minisry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan.
Last month, Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul stated that its consular section will be closed from November 4 until further notice, due to security reasons.
On November 4, The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement protested the summoning of the Afghan chargé d’affaires by Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry over reports of “harassment” made by Pakistani diplomats in Kabul.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry last month summoned the Afghan chargé d’affaires in order to convey serious concerns over the safety and security of the diplomatic personnel of the Pakistani embassy in Kabul and its sub-missions. (TOLO NEWS)