By Our Diplomatic Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Sunday rejected reports that Pakistan’s visa policy for residents of India-occupied Kashmir had been changed. “Media reports, which appeared in a section of media, about changes in Pakistani visa for residents of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, are completely baseless and incorrect,” read a statement issued by FO spokesperson Aisha Farooqui,
According to the statement, the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi “continues to issue visas to residents of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the visa policy of the government and related bilateral agreements between Pakistan and India.”
The High Commission in New Delhi is also “taking into cognisance the peculiar humanitarian situation” that has arisen after August 5 — when India revoked occupied Kashmir’s special autonomy through a presidential decree — as it decides on visa applications for residents of the region, the statement added.
“The High Commission is making all efforts to facilitate as much as possible, the genuine visa applicants, particularly those from India-occupied Kashmir. Those who fulfill the visa requirements continue to be issued visas as quickly as possible,” the FO statement concluded by saying.
