Pakistan’s Embassy in Kabul announced on Sunday that it would resume routine consular services from today (Monday) after Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Idress Zaman assured that a gang of con men operating in the premises would be “immediately busted”.
Earlier in the day, the embassy had issued a press release, saying that visas issued to Afghan nationals would be restricted and would only be issued to patients, the elderly, women and businessmen. The step was taken due to a “gang” of con men that harassed and extorted money from visa applicants to grant them access to the embassy’s consular section, the statement said. According to Radio Pakistan, the members of the group had the support of the police.
The embassy said that regular visa service would not be restored until Afghan authorities dealt with the group. Another press release was issued later in the day that announced that the decision had been reversed after a meeting between Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Idress Zaman and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Zahid Nasrullah Khan.
Zaman assured Khan that the authorities would take action against the group that was involved in harassing and extorting money from visa applicants. He further said that a “full inquiry will be conducted and necessary measures will be put in place to prevent such criminals from operating near and about the embassy premises”, the press statement read.
The embassy also reiterated that it did not change any fee for visit visa and all visa applicants would be served on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. An embassy spokesperson said the new policy would remain unchanged until the Afghan government takes action on the matter.
In January, following an uptick in terrorist violence, Pakistan abolished the ‘on-arrival’ visa facility for Afghan nationals. The Immigration Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency cited increased security risks from the western border as a reason for the move. Furthermore, the government had also restricted the movement of Afghan nationals in Pakistan and stopped issuing of visas at airports and border crossing points.
