- Pak warns India that people-to-people contact could be hit
After Indian authorities refused to extend the visa of senior Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) officials, Pakistan has warned India that the move will hurt people-to-people contact between the two countries.
PIA provides the only direct air link between the two countries.
PIA’s Saeed Ahmed Khan and Shabbir Ahmed are station managers for the airlines in Delhi and Mumbai respectively. They have apparently been “stranded” in India for almost a month now after their visas expired in the first week of January, Times of India reported.
Pakistan has now taken up the issue with the MEA saying the decision to not issue visas to PIA officials went against the stated commitment to improve relations between the two countries.
The decision to not renew visa has prevented PIA from functioning smoothly in India. PIA operates three flights from Delhi and two from Mumbai every week to Pakistan.
Pakistan has complained to the MEA that both PIA officials have had their phones disconnected, and their families confined to their homes, after their visas expired in early January. Pakistan officials are also said to have appealed to Indian authorities to help Khan on humanitarian grounds as he is unable to visit his ailing son in Pakistan without the renewal of his visa.