ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Washington on Wednesday denied reports it was rejecting visas to the country’s diaspora community in the United States after a journalist took up the issue at the US State Department’s media briefing a day earlier.
The Pakistan embassy released its official statement amid media reports it had been denying visas to US citizens of Pakistani origin who were suspected of being the supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan’s political party.
Khan has been in a high-security prison for nearly a month following his arrest on graft charges in August. While his three-year sentence in the case was suspended by the Islamabad High Court last week, he continues to remain behind bars for violating the Official Secrets Act and is facing a prison trial for misusing a confidential diplomatic cable.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has also faced a crackdown after its supporters indulged in a violent protest following the ex-premier’s brief on May 9 in a corruption case. The PTI protestors targeted government buildings and military properties while setting some of them on fire.
Referring to the question raised during the State Department briefing, the Pakistan embassy said there was no truth in the rumors about the denial of visas to the Pakistani-American community.
“Pakistani-Americans, and other Overseas Pakistanis, are most welcome to visit their motherland-Pakistan,” the statement added. “The Embassy continues to provide every possible consular assistance, including visas, to them.”
The statement maintained that the country’s diplomatic mission in Washington encouraged the diaspora community in the US to visit the home country on the National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) or visas anytime.
It continued the visa services were available at the embassy and all four Consulates General in New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.
“Besides, visa requests are also processed online 24/7,” the statement said. “Therefore, there should be no cause of concern.”
Responding to a question about the visa issue, the State Department’s deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, said only Pakistan’s consular officials can address the matter.
“We will just leave it at that,” he added.
