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INTERNATIONAL

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

he stated on his application, the anniversary celebrations were at the end of March 2010. The festivities came and went. My fathers visa was not rejected. He simply never heard back from the Indian consulate before the anniversary party. Family from around the world gathered in India, including my mother. My father missed out. New Delhi must have been doing a very thorough background check on him. It is not hard to imagine how the senior citizen with his well-established family links to India could be considered a threat. The consulate in Toronto had to send his application to

New Delhi for processing because of his Pakistani passport. It didnt matter that he holds a Canadian passport too. Dual citizenship or not, to the Indian government, the green passport is the only one that counts: he cant apply for a visa on his blue one. If a Pakistani with

citizenship along with an affidavit duly notarized stating therein that they no longer hold Pakistani citizenship and Pakistani passport. And this is just for a tourist visa. Do other countries demand visitors to renounce their citizenship to their countries of ori-

Lets not expect any small miracles. I actually applied for my visa at the same time as my father. The status of my application is still unknown. A few babies may come to full-term before I hear anything.
gin just so they can take a holiday? A few months back, I spoke to a Pakistani diplomat who said he brought the issue up with Canadian officials. Basically, India was not recognising the rights and status of hundreds of thousands of Canadians, he said. As such, this was not just a problem for people of Pakistani origin but also for the Canadian government. However, Ottawa will not act unless the Pakistani community in Canada stands up and demands action. Sadly, that is not likely. The majority of Pakistani-Canadians have no family in India and no pressing need to go there. As such, they are hardly bothered by the outrageous Indian policy. My father did eventually hear back from the Indian consulate. Good news, sir. Permission from New Delhi has been received. We can issue you your visa. (Thats how I like to imagine the call came in). That was on June 18, 2010. Three months after the event was over the event that was the reason for even wanting a visa. It took six months to get a decision. Thats basically two trimesters. At this stage, an unborn baby would have fully developed hands and its lungs and liver would be maturing. If only an intelligent visa policy between India and Pakistan matured so fast. But lets not expect any small miracles. I actually applied for my visa at the same time as my father. The status of my application is still unknown. A few babies may come to fullterm before I hear anything. The writer is the online editor at NewslineMagazine.com and wonders if hell ever get to visit his relatives in India again.

Giving birth to a visa

sion could have deep ramifica- cally suspicious. My dad holds tions, permanent fallout. Just a Pakistani passport. All he wanted hree months sounded as, allegedly, was a travel like enough time. granting a visa: a singleHeck, its a whole visa to US entry tourist business quarter. Its citizen David visa to attend also a trimester: a C o l e m a n my aunt and newly conceived baby will start Headley did. uncles 50th to develop fingernails and its Headley was wedding anface will gain a human profile charged in Deniversary celein less than 12 weeks. As such, cember 2009 brations. My three months is a lot of time to for scouting lofathers sister make a decision. After all, it cations for the had married my mothers brother in 1959. One family Let people meet: Citizens petitions was from Lahore, the other addressed to India and Pakistan Bombay. After her wedding, my Links to two current online petitions against visa restrictions, phuppo moved to India, the addressed to the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan, and in home of her husband. She has support of Aman ki Ashas Milne Do campaign are: lived there ever since. My parents were married almost two 1. Milne Do - Let people meet: India/Pakistan: years later. They immigrated to Remove visa restrictions http://bit.ly/afnXBx Canada soon after. Created by Nazo Reshi, Islamabad Given these facts, it would 2. Make it Easier for People to Travel and Meet Each Other not be difficult for you the http://bit.ly/achamdp Created by Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA) reader, to draw a clearer picture of my fathers situation: his Petition creators intend to present these petitions to the For- family is based in Pakistan, eign Ministers when they meet in Islamabad on July 15, 2010. while my mothers in India; this We encourage readers to visit the links and sign the petitions. means my Pakistani father married an Indian. In addition, he has visited Bharat, I would didnt seem like a big, forever- Mumbai attacks. Under this pressure to not guess, around a dozen times in type of issue, such as marriage. (Actually, in South Asia, decid- screw up again, Indian officials his life -- always with his wife ing on a life partner can be struggled to come to a quick the one who was an Indiandone in a living room over tea). visa judgement on my father. passport holder, is now CanaBut to the Indian government, Three months wasnt enough to dian, and travels back every this was a forever-type of issue. do their due diligence. After all, year on a long-term, multipleA big one, in fact. A wrong deci- he, unlike Headley, is automati- entry travel visa to visit famBy Talib Qizilbash ily. Both my parents have been Canadian citizens for over 40 years. They still reside there. My dad is a professional. He is semi-retired. He is 74 years old. He applied for his Indian visa on December 24, 2009. As

dual nationality doesnt want to be considered as a Pakistani by India, then he must renounce Visa seekers queue up at the his citizenship. The rules are Pakistan High Commission in clear on the website of the ConNew Delhi, where the municipal authorities dont even allow the sulate General of India in mission to provide shade or seating Toronto: Canadians of Pakfor applicants. Photo: Times of India. istani origin . . . have to submit a certified copy of the surrenVisa applicants at the Indian High der certificate stating that they Commission in Islamabad. w have renounced their Pakistani Photo: The News

UNFRIENDLY
THE VISA REGIME
q Visas granted for up to

INDIA IN PAKISTAN
High Commission of India G-5, Diplomatic Enclave Islamabad. Tel (visa helplines): +92-51- 227 6658, 227 3932 Fax: +92-51- 2823102 / 2823386 Email: cons.islamabad@mea.gov.in REQUIREMENTS (CONDENSED FROM INSTRUCTIONS ON WEBSITE): 1. Visa application form x2 2. Photo x2 pasted on each form and signed. 3. Current passport and all previous passports 4. Applicants National Identity Card copy identifying address and its English translation 5. Documents identifying applicants address in Pakistan eg utility bills (any two) 6. Applicants employers letter or for self-employed businessman, copy of Registration Certificate with the Government 7. Affidavit from host in India not more than 45 days old indicating willingness to bear responsibility of the visit 8. Address proof of host in India (ie copy of electricity bill, telephone bill, ration card, passport, Election I-card or Passport copy) 9. Visa Fees: Rs. 15/- per application

form Visa application llable): (fi e lin on le availab pk

a.org. http://www.indi

three cities only. q No provision for tourist visas q Entry can be by Air, Train, Road and on Foot (at Wagah border). The port of exit and mode of travel for the return journey will remain the same. (Indians crossing Wagah on foot must also obtain a No Objection Letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs, without which they may be turned back at the border). However, travellers entering by air may exit from different airports with prior permission. q Police registration required within 24 hours of entry and prior to departure/arrival at each subsequent place of visit.

Visa forms must be submitted in person or via designated courier Processing time: minimum three weeks; conference applications six weeks

PAKISTAN IN INDIA
Embassy of Pakistan 2/50-G, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021 Tel: + (91-11) 26110601, 26110602, 26110605 Fax: (+ 91-11) 26872339 Email: pakhcnd@gmail.com REQUIREMENTS (CONDENSED FROM INSTRUCTIONS ON WEBSITE):

a.gov.pk/ http://www.mof

forms Visa application e lin on le ab ail av non-fillable): (downloadable, india

1. Visa application form x 4 to be typed in capital letters Ration Card or Electricity Bill or Telephone Bill or Driving 2. Photos x4 pasted on each form Licence) 3. Current passport 5. Visa fee of Rs. 15/- to be deposited in cash and receipt 4. Other: any one document providing proof of applicants obtained. residential address (PAN Car or Voters Identity Card or Visa forms must be submitted in person. Also accepted via courier or post. Processing time: minimum one week

Praying for a visa-free zone

The hurdles faced by those wanting to visit holy sites in India
hen Sardar Ramesh Singh enters the awe-inspiring Golden Temple in Amristar, one of the prayers on his lips is for India and Pakistan to be a visa-free zone for each other. Throughout my stay at the holy shrine, I pray for Pakistan and India to be a visa-free zone so that people from both countries can visit one another without any barriers, restrictions or difficulties, says Singh, who recently headed a group of around 167 Pakistani Sikh and Hindu yatrees (pilgrims) visiting religious sites in India. One of their aims was to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism. Though Singh feels he is extremely fortunate to be able to visit the divine places every year because of his role in helping to acquire visas for pilgrims, he is very

aware of the restrictions imposed on ordinary visa applicants, making the process of traveling across the border cumbersome and difficult. The visa form is available only on the Indian High Commissioner website which creates many problems for those who are illiterate and do not have access to the internet. Most people in our community do not own computers. So our applicants have to pay agents to fill out the forms online. Then there is the issue of the limited time period for which we are allowed to stay in India as we do not get visa for more than a month. After spending so much money on travel and so forth, we would want to spend time with our people there, explore and visit new places, said Singh, adding sadly, but that does not happen due to the shortage of time. ts not just the Hindu community, other communities also have relatives living in India. Due to the visa regime, families on both sides are divided, even married couples are sometimes separated because of the visa constraints, says Ramesh Kumar, Patron, Pakistan Hindu Council. Since both countries share the same culture, language, history and traditions why not remove the restrictions and let them meet one another. Why are there so many hurdles when there are so many similarities between us? Both governments should abolish the visa system and let people come close to one another. Rabia Ali

L-R: Dr Ashraf Chohan, Punjab Assembly PML-N MPA, former Labour MP Muhammad Sarwar, Rami Ranger

I have never met some of my relatives in my life. We have mourned the loss of our dear ones on both sides of the border over the telephone.

larly to avoid traveling to the USA due to increasingly cumbersome security checks and lengthy delays at American airports. The rich culture of both these countries has no match in the world, he adds. Its a tragedy that young British Asians go on holidays to Middle East and America but not to India and Pakistan

Sikhs and Kashmiris are so frustrated by the process that they often just give up. As a result, their children -tens of thousands of new generation Indians, Pakistanis and Kashmiris who would love to travel to their land of origin dont even bother to try, because their parents and grandparents lost hope in the Indian and Pakistani bureaucracy. I would love to go to India and Pakistan, visit the major Sikh shrines and meet Sikh activists, says Davinder Singh, a Sikh identity campaigner in Britain. He has travelled throughout the world to link up with like-minded Sikh groups but has refrained from going to the two countries he would most love to visit: India and Pakistan. I fear that my visit to Pakistan will be held against me and I will be seen as a suspect in India. Other family

THE FIRST STEP LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK

Feedback, contributions, photos, letters: Email: amankiasha@janggroup.com.pk Fax: +92-21-3241-8343 Post: aman ki asha c/o The News, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi

Sardar Ramesh Singh and his Indian visa. Photos Shiraz Mukarram

he long-standing rivalry between the Indian and Pakistani establishments extends even to their foreign missions where officials often treat those with roots in the other country as potential spies. The United Kingdom is home to nearly three million Indians and Pakistanis, of whom approximately 1.7 million are of Indian and about a million of Pakistani descent. Among these communities, two distinctive groups stand out: Sikhs and Kashmiris, numbering about 800,000 each. Most Kashmiri Britons migrated from Azad Kashmir to the UK in the early 1970s. Committed to the Sufi traditions of Islam despite, they would love to pay their respects at the famous Sufi shrines in India venerated by both Muslims and Hindus, like Ajmer Sharif and Dergah Bel in Indian administered Kashmir. Some of the Sikhs holiest places, including the birthplace of their first guru Nanak Sahib, are located in Pakistan. Allowing expatriate communities, who have nothing to do with the politics of partition, to travel freely would generate millions of pounds annually for the development of both countries, revenue that would be particularly crucial for Pakistan. Giving a conservative estimate, Ahmed Mahboob, who has been running a travel agency in East London since 1975, thinks that Pakistan could easily net 4-5 million from European and American tourists alone if Sikhs and Hindus were made to feel welcome there. As for India, if it relaxed its visa martial law, it could net more than 10 million each year from Pakistani origin tourists. Most of Mahboobs clients are of Asian descent, and he notes a trend among the younger generation particu-

Cutting off a nose to spite a face?

Local economies would benefit hugely if India and Pakistan lifted the visa restrictions that prevent visits from foreign citizens with links to the other country
just because they are not motivated. Shrines, temples, mosques and the rich cultural heritage of the south can attract millions of tourists each year. Pakistans tourism department is shambles. It has done nothing ever to promote Pakistan. Elderly

By Murtaza Ali Shah in London

members and friends, who live in the UK and Canada, have visited holy sites in both India and Pakistan and loved the experience. They have all commented on the hospitality and respect towards Sikhs of those in Pakistan, he adds. Sikhs in Canada and the USA have similar experiences or at least perceptions, given the negative stories about visit restrictions that everyone has

A speaker at the joint Pakistan-India celebrations in London

heard. They too could be regular visitors to India and Pakistan, but are deterred by the cumbersome visa procedures. Rami Ranger, MBE (Member of the British Empire), is a successful Pakistanborn businessman based in Britain, the son of Sikh parents from Multan. Ranger is the founder President of the PakistanIndia-UK Friendship Forum that seeks to build bridges between British citizens of Indian and Pakistani descent. He takes inspiration from his illustrious father, Shaheed Nanak Singh, assassinated in Multan in 1947 for opposing the division of India on the basis of religion. Ranger

country often complain that secret agencies shadow them during their visit. The blames the break up of India on the 'di- role of the secret agencies carries vide and rule' policy of the British through to their foreign missions where intelligence agents are also involved in colonists. He urges both Pakistani and Indian vetting visa applications. Sources at India and Pakistans forgovernments to come to their senses eign missions, and resolve all issues speaking to this through dialogue. We correspondent owe it to our next gen- Pakistan could net 4-5 on condition of eration to live in peace and harmony like good million from European and a n o n y m i t y , admit that Indineighbours. Ranger has visited American tourists of Sikhs ans and Pakistanis put each Sikh holy places in Pakothers nationals istan, which he believes and Hindu origin. India through a torturis a goldmine with a could net more than 10 ous visa process huge potential for trade and routinely and tourism -- a poten- million each year from refuse visas. tial that can only be reWe look out alised when both coun- Pakistani origin tourists for passport holdtries end hostilities. ers from the other "Pakistan also needs to country and treat with do more to make visequal suspicion those Indiitors feel safe. ans and Pakistanis who are eiThousands of Sikhs and Hinther dual nationals or have given up their Indian/Pakistani nationaldus could visit Pakistan every month ity, said one. His counterpart in the other mission and generate much needed concurs. If an applicant originates from the other country we mark him revenue. Once hostilities end out as a suspect. in the subBritish-born Ali Shawl, 34, has had his visa rejected twice by Pakistans High continent, the region will progress by leaps and Commission in London half of his fambounds. ily lives in Sialkot in Pakistan, the other Gulab Dhalu, an arts/music half is from in Srinagar in Indian adminpromoter from Vancouver, istered Kashmir. He says he did everyCanada, on a visit to London, has thing to fulfill the requirements of the heard a great deal about Sikh holy sites visa application. in Pakistan from his devout parents. In I have never met some of my rela2008 he decided to travel across Pakistan tives in my life, he sighs. We have for a month and meet his music idol mourned the loss of our dear ones on Abrarul Haq but his parents advised both sides of the border over the telehim against it due to the attacks by mili- phone. We are not allowed to meet. I tants on religious minorities. He didnt mean what wrong could I do to someneed much convincing. The media was one? I cant comprehend this madness. full of stories on Pakistan and how Sikhs There are many others like Ali. Many were being kidnapped. I would love to have given up hope. Others, however, visit Pakistan but only when its safe, he remain committed to the real and says, adding that his best friends in achievable dream of a dawn of thaw in Canada are Pakistani Canadians. relations between the warring siblings, Expatriate Indians and Pakistanis and the establishment of a permanent who manage to obtain visas to the other peace in the region. A peace initiative whose time has come...

Destination Peace: A commitment by the Jang Group, Geo and The Times of India Group to create an enabling environment that brings the people of Pakistan and India closer together, contributing to genuine and durable peace with honour between our countries.