Afghans seeking medical treatment in Pakistan face delays in getting visa
Jan 31, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], January 31 : Afghans seeking medical assistance have to wait for months, face unending struggles with the process and delays for a Pakistani visa.
The applicants for visas said that although they filled out forms months ago, their visas are yet to be issued, reported Tolo News.
Abdullah is seeking a visa for Pakistan as his young daughter is suffering from heart disease. Abdullah said he wanted to take his daughter for treatment but Pakistan's embassy in Kabul is yet to issue the visa, and they have been waiting for over four months.
"Not everyone wants to visit Pakistan for tourism. Some may have problems, such as business problems and there are people who need medical care. My daughter is sick. My visa has not been issued and I have come here to ask about it at the embassy. She is suffering from heart disease," he said.
Parwiz, who provides online services for Pakistan visas, said that he filled out the visa forms for around 750 applicants but none of them has received their visa yet, reported Tolo News.
"Pakistan does not tell people about the fate of their visas, and it cancels them whenever it wants to, despite people spending about 80-100 dollars," he said.
The Islamic Emirate said that the facilitation of visas for Afghans was one of the matters discussed with the Pakistani delegation led by National Security Advisor (NSA) Moeed Yusuf, reported Tolo News.
On Saturday, Moeed Yusuf and his accompanying delegation arrived in Kabul to discuss various matters with Islamic Emirate officials.
"In the past also, some agreements were made regarding this but it didn't become practical. We will hold talks about it, as there are problems with visas on the (Pakistan) side as well as the transfer of goods," said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate said.
Previously, the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a visit to Kabul pledged to provide help facilitate the visa application process for Afghans.
But visas for Pakistan apparently remain an unsolved problem for the Afghans.
