Transit visas to help Afghan citizens complete paperwork for onward travel: PM Shehbaz Sharif

• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urges “international community” to lend a helping hand to the people of Afghanistan.
• Says new Afghan visa policy is part of govt efforts to continue helping Afghan brothers and sisters in their hour of need.
• Under new policy, Government of Pakistan would issue 30-day transit visas to Afghan citizens within 24 hours.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif observed on Sunday that the granting of transit visas to Afghan citizens “will help them complete paperwork for onward travel”.

“New Afghan visa policy by our government is part of our efforts to continue helping our Afghan brothers and sisters in their hour of need,” tweeted the premier.

The premier urged the “international community” to lend a helping hand to the people of Afghanistan.

A day earlier, the Head of PM’s Strategic Reforms Initiatives Salman Sufi had said the premier had approved a new transit visa policy for the Afghan immigrant citizens.

Taking notice of the issues faced by the Afghan citizens and illegal immigration, the prime minister had accorded his nod to the new policy of issuance of on-arrival-visa to Afghan citizens going abroad through Pakistan, the PM Office Media Wing had said in a press release.

On his Twitter handle, Sufi posted, “Taking notice of issues faced by Afghan citizens, at the request of Rana Sanaullah, PM Shehbaz has approved on arrival visa for Afghan refugees who need to pass thru [through] Pakistan to reach their destination country which has approved their immigration.”

Sufi further said that under the new policy, the Government of Pakistan would issue 30-day transit visas to Afghan citizens within 24 hours.

Those countries that had granted immigration to Afghan citizens could apply for transit visas from Pakistan, he added.