Holders of the Pakistani passport find themselves increasingly unwelcome around the world. Visa requirements are ever more stringent and destinations such as the UK ever further from reach. The latest government to impose restrictions on travellers from Pakistan is Sri Lanka, which has cancelled the ‘on arrival’ visa facility for Pakistan. The reason given for this abrupt change in policy is ‘security’ — as well as the increase in the numbers of asylum seekers from Pakistan. This latter reason should give pause for thought, not least because it calls into question the human rights record of Pakistan in the broader sense. Sri Lanka is a friendly state, one of the few friends we have in these dangerous days, and was one of the very few countries to offer on-arrival visas to Pakistani travellers.
Information is scanty on the background to the Sri Lankan decision, but the Sri Lankan authorities say that they have recently identified about 1,500 Pakistanis who were asylum seekers and registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). They went to Sri Lanka for asylum but may now find themselves deported for allegedly being involved in ‘anti-state activities’ in both India and Pakistan. Because of confidentiality clauses applied by the UNHCR, it is impossible to know the reasons why they were seeking asylum and thus unwise to speculate, but it is reasonable to assume that people do not seek asylum unless they consider themselves ‘in extremis’ and under significant threat. New guidelines are shortly to be issued by Pakistan authorities who plan to travel to Sri Lanka, but it is clear that an application for a visa before travel is now a necessity.
The Foreign Office is less than sympathetic to those asylum seekers and refugees now being detained and possibly deported by the Sri Lankans. The all-purpose Foreign Office Spokesperson, Tasneen Aslam, gave them short shrift in a statement, saying ‘These people obtained asylum in Sri Lanka by badmouthing Pakistan. If they are in trouble, I have no idea.’ This may be slightly ambiguous but the underlying message is clear enough. By all means plan your holiday in Sri Lanka, but think twice before you seek asylum there.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2014.
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In 2013, Afghans, Syrians and Somalis accounted for over half the total number of refugees. According to The New York Times’s Somini Sengupta, “the movements of refugees are a glimpse into the world’s troubled spots. In 1975, the UN agency counted just over 3.6 million refugees with the largest number from Ethiopia. By 1992, there were nearly 18 million refugees worldwide, with over four million of them from Afghanistan alone. By 2004, the number had dipped to about nine million, but by then, refugees from Darfur had begun to flee Sudan.” Over the last decade, the number has increased significantly. How this movement of people will affect Pakistan is the subject of next week’s article.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2014.
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@kk: You can google for the source and you will find many. Here is one; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2674264/NIA-probe-terror-plot-against-US-Israel-consulates.html
This declinging acceptability and increasing scrutiny for the holders of Paki green passport costs us travel and training opportunities as well as job opportunities which require frequent and short notice travel. I am speaking out of my personal experience whereby those opportunities were enjoyed and availed by my Indian colleagues. Hope GoP and FO is listening !!!!
@ModiFied: YOUR SOURCE???
@ModiFied: Now you are copy-pasting the same situation as India is doing in Afghanistan against Pakistan.
@Ali: You don't make more money from tourism by restricting people's entry into the country, you do it by facilitating people to enter the country. However, every nation has to weight the economic benefits of tourism from the unintended political consequences by allowing people to freely enter their borders. If Sri Lanka wanted to make more money from visas, they could simply levy the fee on people's arrival. However, the reasons in this case are undoubtedly political. Pakistanis have pretty well managed to proved themselves to be troublemakers wherever they go. Without going into too distant history, remember the case of US-based Pakistani driver, Raja Naeem protesting in the streets outside City Hall in St Louis, US, along with two dozen other taxi drivers? It may well be the result of Modi's soft diplomacy snubbing regional concerns in the favor of India's larger geo-political interests by inviting Sri Lankar premier to his swearing in.
With current security situation of Pakistan and no serious attitude of its citizen nor political will to curb this terrorism menace, I am not at all surprise by foreign nations' effort to erect road blocks for Pakistani nationals to enter in their countries. I think this is the last time to get the nation rid of terrorism before they take over the country. But still no one is taking army's cleanup operation seriously. There is lot of talk that everyone supports is but really no one cares, Current rulers haven't done to mobilize the nation, and opposition has its own agendas - more lust for power. And I will blame media, especially electronic, here as well for not preparing/encouraging the nation to stand behind this operation.
There are lots of champions of democracy, who even failed to have a "true" democracy within their parties. Their party elections were "flawed" but still they accepted them but are not willing to accept last years' flawed election. These proponents of democracy should wait until this operation is over.
In Pakistan, we talk a lot about West but anytime their armies are sacrificing their lives for the nation, whole nation will leave its differences aside and stand firmly behind its army. Look around and see how whole nation is being polarized by selfish politician for their political gains.
It's not just Pakistanis but many nationalities that Sri Lanka have removed the visa on arrival facility for. Last year they removed it for UK and EU nationals too. You now have to apply online and pay a €30 fee. They will do the same for Pakistanis. Basically, it's to make more money since tourism has shot up.