Afghanistan: New visa policy to facilitate traders, investors: NA speaker

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser said that new visa policy for Afghanistan would facilitate traders, investors, businessmen, students, and patients.

The speaker welcomed the decision of the federal cabinet for approval of the new visa policy for Afghanistan.

He said that that decision came at a time when Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, was in Pakistan.

The speaker said that the new visa regime for Afghanistan was liberal in its scope and application.

He said that various aspects of visa such as duration of stay, validity of visa, and number of entries in Pakistan had all been substantially liberalised.

He said that it would especially facilitate visiting Afghan brethren, students, businessmen, investors, and medical patients.

The speaker said that patients intending for medical treatment would benefit more.

He said that visa granted (up to six months) on the Torkham border to save them the hassle of traveling to Pakistan Embassy in Kabul or Pakistani consulates.

He said that Pakistani missions in Afghanistan would now also be able to grant visit visa for one year with multiple entries, and business visa for up to five years, which would be extendable within Pakistan.

He said that keeping in view, the plight of Afghan students, they could now get visa for the whole duration of their studies instead of just for one year.

The speaker crediting the members of the Parliamentary Task Force, said that the approval of the visa policy came at the heels of extensive parliamentary deliberations for the last three months, when the Speaker National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, took notice of the issue and constituted a Parliamentary Task Force to resolve it.

He said that Task Force headed by Special Assistant to the PM on Establishment, Arbab Shahzad after numerous meetings and visits to the border crossing points, and an extensive parliamentary input on multiple aspects of the Visa Policy towards liberalising it.

He said that the new Visa Policy would greatly benefit bilateral trade and commerce, ushering a new era of mutual prosperity especially for the people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020