No change in visa procedure for Afghans: Indian envoy

KABUL (Pajhwok): Indian Ambassador in Afghanistan on Wednesday said his country’s policy on issuing visas to Afghan nationals had not changed, but some pressure had been increased with regard to discipline and management.

Manpreet Vohra, during a meeting with Nasir Ahmad Andisha, deputy foreign minister for administrative affairs, said India’s policy on issuing visas to Afghans had not changed, but applicants were requested to complete documents and fill application farms with valid information to observe discipline and prevent opportunists from entering India.

He said visa issuance procedure for Afghans remained the same and hoped new measures would be more helpful for Afghans in timely hearing of their problems.

Andisha said reports about increased formalities for Afghans to get Indian visas had conceed the Afghans.

He hoped the Indian Embassy would cooperate with Afghans in issuing visas as the embassy did in the past and would consider their problems.

The two officials also discussed bilateral relations, regional cooperation, the Afghan peace process and India’s cooperation with Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani recently told the upper house of parliament that India had increased formalities for the issuance of visas for the Afghan nationals amid conces that the Afghan passports have been seen in possession of some of the citizens of neighboring countries of Afghanistan.

mds/ma