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| US concerned at denial of visas to poll observers |
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Saturday, December 01, 2007
By Rauf Klasra
ISLAMABAD: The US government has officially raised serious concerns that foreign election observers willing to rush to Pakistan are being denied visas by the Pakistan embassies, a matter which has been raised at the level of President Musharraf and PM Muhammedmian Soomro.
US Ambassador Anne W. Pattersson held an urgent meeting with the caretaker prime minister to raise the issue while a delegation of US Congressmen, who called on General Pervez Musharraf on Friday, also informed him that visas were being denied to election observers.
The issue was raised by PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto by the Congressmen delegation, which called on her on Friday to discuss various issues concerning today’s Pakistan. Top official level sources have claimed that both Musharraf and Soomro were caught off guard when these complaints were lodged with them by a genuinely-worried American ambassador and Congressmen. Both the leaders are said to have expressed their complete “surprise” and “ignorance” over the denial of the visas to foreign observers.
The president and the PM have promised to the US ambassador and Congressmen to look into the whole issue that could dent the credibility of the election in the eyes of the international community.
Earlier, sources said, the International Republican Institute (IRI) had brought it to the notice of the US government which provides it funds for its democracy-related activities in Pakistan, that foreign observers chosen from different parts of the world to monitor the polls were surprisingly being denied visas by the Pakistani missions both in the US and in other Western capitals.
When contacted by The News, Ms Elizabeth Colton, who is political secretary at the US embassy, Islamabad, confirmed that there were concerns with regard to the delay in the issuance of visas to the foreign observers.
“Yes, there are concerns about delays in visa-issuances for some election observers, and this concern has been raised this week in several meetings — by the US ambassador with PM Soomro and by Congressmen with President Musharraf on Friday.”
Elizabeth said both the PM and the president said they would work immediately to rectify these delays. However, she said the role of Pakistani embassy in issuance of visas was not raised with them.
Meanwhile, talking to The News, PPP Senator Enwer Baig blasted the reports of denial of visas to the foreign observers. He said in addition to denying visas, both the ex-CMs the Punjab and Sindh were still maintaining full protocol. He claimed that the former chief minister of Sindh Arbab Rahim held a meeting with police officials in Karachi the other day as if he was still the CM. He said it was shocking to know that now foreign observers were being denied entry into Pakistan to monitor the elections.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
