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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has ordered a complete visa ban on issuance of visas for Afghan nationals/origins.
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The decision is reported to have come after an alleged scandal of the issuance of Pakistani visas to 1,600 Afghan nationals on fake residential cards of Sweden.
The FO issued the orders to the Pakistani embassies in the United Kingdom (UK), Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands.
A formal letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan which went viral on social media last week indicates that Pakistan Embassy in Sweden had granted 1600 to Afghan citizens based on fake residence cards. The foreign ministry has ordered an immediate investigation regarding this scandal.
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The letter was issued on February 8 and recently went viral on social media. The letter was addressed Pakistan Diplomatic Mission in European cities including London, Glasgow, Bradford, Manchester, Birmingham, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Berlin, Frankfort, Lisbon, Athens, Vienna, Berne, Copenhagen, Oslo, Brussels, The and Hague.
It is still not clear how long the ban will be in place as the investigations over the 1600 issued visas have already begun, and the issuance of visas is banned until further notice.
