The Minister of Interior of Pakistan, Mohsin Naqvi, has confirmed that the government has decided not to include India and Afghanistan on the list of countries whose citizens enjoy visa-free entry.
Some members of Pakistan’s cabinet required that the visa requirements be entirely dropped for Indians and Afghanis or at least eased.
However, the Ministry of Interior gave a clear answer, saying that the government does not plan to include the two countries in its visa-free regime due to security concerns, VisaGuide.World reports.
While visas will not be dropped, the Express Tribune explained that some rules will be facilitated for religious tourists, more specifically for Buddhists and Sikhs.
The authorities did not share what facilitations will apply to these groups of tourists, but it is believed that they will be subject to an accelerated process with a lower rejection rate.
At the same time, the authorities highlighted that they are working on creating a stronger image of the country so they are able to attract more tourists.
Even though Pakistan does not currently plan on including India and Afghanistan on its list of countries permitted visa-free entry, the country has already eased the rules for some other nationalities.
Pakistan Just Recently Decided to Lift Visa Application Fee for Chinese
The Pakistani authorities announced just last week that starting August 14, Chinese nationals applying for a visa will no longer be required to apply for the fee.
The decision to remove the visa fee for Chinese tourists was taken in an attempt to promote tourism to the country as well ads strengthen the diplomatic ties with China.
Commenting on the move, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, said that the goal is to model the economy of Pakistan after that of China. At the same time, he stressed that they are confident that progress will take place soon.
Businesspeople From Gulf Countries Are Now Permitted Visa-Free Entry to Pakistan
In addition to the above-mentioned, another change is that Pakistan has dropped the visa requirement for businesspeople from Gulf countries.
This means that businesspeople from Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates can now enter Pakistan without having to apply for a visa beforehand.
By lifting visas for this group of people, Prime Minister Sharif said that they attempt to increase investment and business opportunities in Pakistan further.