The Federal Minister for Interior of Pakistan, Mohsin Naqvi, noted that this facility extends also to Sikhs of Indian origin residing in these countries. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has said that Sikh pilgrims from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada will receive free online visas within 30 minutes upon arrival in the country to pay respect to their religious sites.

Mr. Naqvi’s remarks came as he met with a 44-member foreign delegation of Sikh pilgrims in Lahore on Thursday (October 31, 2024).

The Minister warmly welcomed the Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan. He acknowledged that the Sikh pilgrims faced difficulties while visiting Pakistan in the past, according to a statement by the Ministry of Interior.

Also Read: Pakistan unveils new visa policy to attract foreign investors

Mr. Naqvi announced that the Government has made the visa process easier for Sikhs by making it online. He added that holders of American, Canadian, and UK passports can apply online and receive their visas within 30 minutes without any fees.

He noted that this facility extends also to Sikhs of Indian origin residing in these countries. He stated that providing more facilities to the Sikh community is his government’s priority.

He encouraged Sikh pilgrims to visit Pakistan, saying, “You can come to Pakistan 10 times a year, and we will welcome you every time.”

Mr. Naqvi said that just as Saudi Arabia is sacred for Muslims, Pakistan is sacred for the Sikh community. He announced that several Sikh heritage sites in Pakistan will be opened for visits, and no permit will be required in this regard.

Mr. Naqvi expressed his desire to increase the number of Sikh pilgrims visiting Pakistan from 1 lakh to 1 million annually, with particular emphasis on attracting younger generations.

Also Read: India grants long-term visas to 145 Pakistanis in September

The Sikh delegation thanked Mr. Naqvi for his hospitality and appreciated the ease of online visa processing, saying, “You have won our hearts”, the statement said.

Mr. Naqvi also mentioned that the Pakistan Government has started the facility of free-of-cost visas for the citizens of 124 countries.

In a major change in visa policy aimed at attracting tourists and investment from across the world, Pakistan on August 14 completely waived the visa fee for the citizens of these countries.

Pakistan, in a bid to revive its ailing economy, has introduced a new visa policy to attract business communities from across the world to invest in the cash-strapped country.

The decision was taken in the two-day consultation meeting held under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid body set up by the previous Shehbaz Sharif Government to tackle the country’s economic woes.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who chaired the fifth apex committee meeting of SIFC, announced in a recorded message that a new easy visa regime has been approved for foreign businessmen desiring to visit Pakistan.

He said foreign businessmen who want to visit Pakistan would be issued easy visas on the basis of a single document from their country or international business organisations.

“If Pakistan’s chambers of business or business organisations issue a document to a foreign businessman, easy visas will also be issued to them,” the statement quoted caretaker Prime Minister Kakar as saying.

He expressed hope that under this new visa regime, Pakistan would enter a new phase of business and economy.

Later, addressing a press conference with other ministers, caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani said that the SIFC was briefed on Pakistan’s relations with China, the United States and other Middle East countries.

He said the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries had shown interest in the investment council.

The GCC countries include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, in an interview with the Dawn newspaper, Law Minister Ahmad Irfan Aslam said that in contrast to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that has garnered significant funds from China, Western countries haven’t made definitive commitments to the SIFC yet.

However, he insisted that the SIFC and CPEC had different scopes and sectors for Chinese investment.

While CPEC focuses on roads, infrastructure and energy projects, the SIFC allows China to invest in minerals and other areas not part of the corridor project.

Mr. Aslam said that agreements had reached an advanced level with GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

“We will first sign the agreement with Saudi Arabia,” Mr. Aslam said, adding that the signing of the agreement was expected by the year’s end.

In response to a question, the law minister admitted that he was only aware of Indonesia’s interest in investing under the SIFC, while Western and other non-GCC countries have not made any firm pledges yet.