The socio-political situation of Afghanistan worsened post the US withdrawal and Taliban takeover of the country. The economic, social, and political instability in the country caused by the abrupt regime changes was further amplified by the global cut off of Afghanistan from all major countries and international organizations. Despite the eternally strained relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Pakistan was the only country to step forward and help Afghanistan in such a crucial time.
In addition to ensuring the provision of a wide range of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), Pakistan remained the only neighboring country which left its border open throughout this period, by not only facilitating the evacuation of foreign forces from Afghanistan but also keeping its diplomatic staff deployed in Afghanistan and ensuring complete facilitation of the Afghans seeking to get visas to Pakistan.
The visa facilitations expedited after the visit of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, to Kabul in October, as he announced the facilitation and easing of visa processes for Afghans seeking to visit Pakistan especially for education, trade, and medical tourism purposes. According to the latest official data, around 67607 visas have been issued to Afghans by Pakistan since August 15, 2021, with 58551 visas issued online and 9056 visa issued manually. Moreover, since Pakistan required a letter of permission from the ministry of interior to Afghans visiting Pakistan, altogether 5465 permission letters were issued by Pakistan such that 2335 letters were issued to Afghans with a Pakistan spouse, 1389 to Afghan nationals, and 1741 were issued to foreigners visiting Pakistan from Afghanistan. However, Pakistan government eliminated the need of a permission letter on September 30th, and no approval from ministry of interior is required by Afghans to visit Pakistan.
Additionally, it is worth mentioning that all the visas currently being issued by Pakistan are processed online and without any charges, so that maximum number of Afghans can be facilitated. The report also established that currently around 4,000 online visa applications are being received daily and less than 1000 visas are issued due to the complex clearance requirements from Islamabad. However, efforts are being made to eliminate such hindrances and increase the number of visas issued daily.
These visa facilitations by Pakistan are highly significant to enhance people-to-people interactions and connectivity between the two countries. Pakistan’s initiatives aren’t only assisting Afghans in getting essential services like health and education, but are also improving Pakistan’s revenue generation along with promoting a softer image of Pakistan in Afghanistan, as it is the only country supporting Afghans in these testing times.
