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India asks Pakistan to open visa centre in Karachi
Islamabad: With the re-opening of the consulate in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi delayed, India has asked Islamabad to open a visa centre for people who would be boarding the Munabao-Khokhrapar Thar Express train in its maiden run. The re-opening of the consulate which had been closed after the 2001 December 13 Parliament attack was earlier planned to open simultaneously along with the starting of the Munabao-Khokhrapar Thar Express train service between the two countries. But now it has been postponed indefinitely owing to Pakistan's difficulty in finding a suitable place for its Mumbai consulate. Responding to the high response generated across the border for the sale of the Munabao-Khokhrapar Thar Express train tickets, the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Shivshankar Menon has made a request the Pakistan Government to immediately start visa-issuing centres in Karachi. His demand has also been reiterated by former Foreign Minister and BJP leader Jaswant Singh who is currently on a nine -day Pakistan tour. He made this request to the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leaders in Karachi.
The
enthusiasm generated by the Munabao-Khokhrapar Thar Express train service
in Sindh - from where over 65 per cent of the 12,000 visa seekers from
Pakistan apply for visas every month - may prompt Pakistan to permit India
to open a visa camp in Karachi though such a request was not granted in
2003. Governor of Sindh, Isratul Ibad, was the first to buy Munabao-Khokhrapar
Thar Express train ticket followed by a number of activists from the MQM.
It is expected that a large number of Sindh-based politicians along with
local journalists might travel by the first Munabao-Khokhrapar Thar Express
train to Munabao.
-Feb 3, 2006
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