MEDIA reports speak of a major visa scam involving issuance of visa to over 14,000 foreign nationals who allegedly got processed their travel documents by submitting either bogus, forged, invalid, fake or incomplete credentials in the past two years. Relevant officials are being probed and a fuller picture would emerge once inquiries are completed by the investigating officers.
This is not for the first time that such a report has appeared in national media as in the past as well visas were issued to suspected applicants endangering security interests of the country. There were consistent reports of a Pakistani Ambassador issuing visas to questionable applicants without adoption of proper procedure and clearance from the authorities concerned and his actions reportedly helped American CIA to boost its presence in Pakistan. A number of foreigners also got visas in the garb of working for dubious Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), which indulged in activities other than their area of working/operation. In this backdrop, it was of paramount importance that visas are issued after in-depth scrutiny but the latest scam reveals we have not learnt any lesson and also there is no accountability of those whose actions imperil security interests of the country. Liberalization of visa policy by the incumbent government was hailed as it was grounded in the argument that it would help boost tourism and increase business interaction of prospective investors with their local partners. Under the policy, business visa are provided to citizens of 96 countries on their arrival in Pakistan besides visa on arrival to tourists of 50 countries. The surfacing of the scandal makes it evident that necessary safeguards are not in place and the system is being exploited by some unscrupulous elements. This calls for thorough review of the policy and procedures.
