Pakistan Rejects Banning Entry for Afghans Having Indian Visa

Pakistan had rejected banning entry for Afghans having an Indian visa in their passports.

Pakistan embassy to Kabul in a press release said, ” This is to clarify that the Government of Pakistan has no such policy which bars any Afghan national form entering Pakistan for having visa of any other country including India. All Afghans having valid Pakistani visa are entitled to travel to Pakistan.”

Director of Hamid Karzai International Airport, Mohammad Asif Jabbarkhail said on Tuesday that over the past few days, Pakistan has deported or banned entry to at least ten Afghans after finding Indian visas in their passports.

Responding to this new sanction, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has said the decision is unacceptable and that Kabul has resumed negotiations with Islamabad to resolve the issue.

“It is a disputed issue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conducts discussions with Pakistan officials to resolve the problems of our citizens,” said MoFA spokesman Ahmad Shekib Mustaghni.

Two days back, Afghanistan had reportedly deported 250 Pakistani workers over deadlock along the Durand Line near Chaman with the border crossing remaining closed for the 10th consecutive day.

The Friendship Gate was closed 10 days ago after Pakistani officials claimed that several Afghan demonstrators attacked the gate and disrespected the Pakistani flag.

Earlier too, tension intensified between the two neighboring countries on several occasions during the past recent months, mainly due to the establishment of gates and other installations.

The Afghan and Pakistani forces exchanged fire in Torkham in June which resulted in to the closure of the gate for several days.