Foreigners entering Pakistan without valid visa to be prosecuted: Chaudhry Nisar

Nisar said no plane should be allowed to land in country without clearance from Interior Ministry


Qadeer Tanoli April 18, 2017
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar. PHOTO: ONLINE/FILE

ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry on Tuesday decided all foreigners entering Pakistan without valid visa or due immigration process shall be prosecuted under the law.

The decision was made in a high level meeting chaired by Interior Minister Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan, and attended by Acting Secretary Interior, Advocate General, IG Police, Chief Commissioner ICT and senior Officers of Interior Ministry, FIA, Aviation division.

Pakistan stops visa on arrival for foreigners

Taking note of visa irregularities and breach of security protocols, Nisar directed the interior ministry, FIA and Civil Aviation to identify airports and landing strips where delegations for hunting parties arrive and devise an SOP for immigration and customs clearance. He gave one week notice to the immigration department, interior ministry and the aviation division to propose a robust mechanism of information sharing between them.

Reiterating his call that nobody should be allowed to enter Pakistan without complete immigration procedure, Nisar said the FIA, Civil Aviation and Ministry should ensure that no plane is allowed to land in the country without prior clearance from the Interior Ministry, adding that landing permission should only be granted after ascertaining the number of people on board, their nationality and the nature of their visas.

Government to introduce online visa application system

During the meeting, it was also decided that e-ticketing be introduced in the federal capital within the next two weeks to streamline the system of penalties for traffic rules violations and to save citizens from the hassle of long queues outside designated banks when depositing fines.

While assessing the progress of his earlier directives regarding traffic management in the twin cities, Nisar expressed dissatisfaction over the traffic management system. The interior minister observed that scientific methods should be adopted for traffic regulation and management. He also urged the use of safe city cameras for optimum resource management and smooth traffic flow.

Directing the IG Police to review traffic arrangements, he also emphasised the importance of traffic discipline, action against tinted glasses, forged, unregistered or fake registration plates.

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