Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif observed on Sunday that the granting of transit visas to Afghan citizens “will help them complete pa-perwork for onward travel”.
“New Afghan visa policy by our government is part of our efforts to con-tinue helping our Afghan brothers and sisters in their hour of need,” tweeted the premier.
The premier urged the “international community” to lend a helping hand to the people of Afghanistan.
A day earlier, the Head of PM’s Strategic Reforms Initiatives Salman Sufi had said the premier had approved a new transit visa policy for the Af-ghan immigrant citizens.
Taking notice of the issues faced by the Afghan citizens and illegal immi-gration, the prime minister had accorded his nod to the new policy of is-suance of on-arrival-visa to Afghan citizens going abroad through Paki-stan, the PM Office Media Wing had said in a press release.
On his Twitter handle, Sufi posted, “Taking notice of issues faced by Af-ghan citizens, at the request of Rana Sanaullah, PM Shehbaz has ap-proved on arrival visa for Afghan refugees who need to pass thru [through] Pakistan to reach their destination country which has ap-proved their immigration.”
Sufi further said that under the new policy, the Government of Pakistan would issue 30-day transit visas to Afghan citizens within 24 hours.
Those countries that had granted immigration to Afghan citizens could apply for transit visas from Pakistan, he added.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requested the National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf to hold a debate, and subsequently adopt a resolution to condemn BJP leaders’ blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the upcoming session of the As-sembly on Monday.
In a statement issued on Twitter, the Premier denounced the violation of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) honor and said that the sacrilegious re-marks have hurt the sentiments of 1.25 billion Muslims across the world.
“We want to send out a clear message to the entire world by passing a resolution that we are ready to render any sacrifice for the honor of Haz-rat Muhammad (PBUH),” Shehbaz wrote.
