India’s refusal to extend visas may hurt contacts: Pakistan

Senior PIA officials

NEW DELHI: After Indian authorities refused to extend visa of senior Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials, Pakistan warned India the move would hurt people-to-people contacts between the two countries.

The PIA provides the only direct air link between the two countries.Saeed Ahmed Khan and Shabbir Ahmed are PIA’s station managers in Delhi and Mumbai, respectively. They have apparently been stranded in India for almost a month now after their visas expired in the first week of January, Times of India reported.

Pakistan has now taken up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), telling that the decision to not issue visa to PIA officials was against the stated commitment to improve relations between the two countries.

The decision to not renew visa had prevented PIA from functioning smoothly in India. The PIA operates three flights from Delhi and two from Mumbai every week to Pakistan.

Pakistan has complained to the MEA that both PIA officials have had their phones disconnected and their families confined to their homes after their visas expired in early January. Pakistan officials are also said to have appealed to Indian authorities to help Khan on humanitarian grounds as he is unable to visit his ailing son in Pakistan without the renewal of visa.