Another blow: Farooq Sattar denied US visa

Despite visiting several times in last 30 years, his eight month quest has turned up dry

KARACHI: One of the most senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders Dr Farooq Sattar has not been issued a visa by the United States embassy.

He applied for a visa eight months back and since then has been called to the embassy and questioned but the US embassy was probably not satisfied with Sattar’s answers.

The person, in whose name the fourth largest party of Pakistan is registered, has been trying to obtain a visa for the last eight months without any luck. He has been visiting the US for 15 days every year for the last 30 years. Sattar’s two daughters live in the US.



His wife, who had earlier been granted a visa, waited for six months but after Sattar was rejected again, she left for the US on her own.

Sattar has held several public offices – he was appointed the city’s mayor when he was 25 years old, has been a member of the national and provincial assemblies and held the post of a federal minister. He was the federal minister for overseas Pakistanis and has visited many foreign countries in an official capacity.

He visited the US embassy three to four times during the last eight months but could not satisfy the embassy staff. Now he has been given another interview date.