India issued more visas to Pakistanis in the first two years of the NDA government than in the last two years of the UPA government, according to figures available in the Home Ministry’s annual report and replies in Parliament.
During 2014-15, India granted 1,72,536 visas to Pakistanis; the number during 2012-13, when the UPA was in power, stood at 132,590.
Though the number of visas issued in 2016 was not available, the Ministry’s annual report said 1,04,720 Pakistanis had visited India that year.
An official said there was a difference in the number of visas issued and those who visited the country, because some could postpone their visits or could not visit at all.
The month-wise break-up was not available, but the number of visas issued a month averaged out at 7,916 during 2014.
2012 agreement
The BJP-led government came to power in May 2014. After deducting the average number of visas issued per month, those issued in the seven months of the NDA government in 2014 came to 132,956, marginally higher than the UPA government’s monthly average of 6,062 during 2013.
In 2012, India and Pakistan agreed to a new visa agreement to promote people-to-people contact.
An official put the increase down to Hindus and Sikhs visiting India for pilgrimage.
In August 2016, the Home Ministry put in place an electronic visa clearance process for Pakistani citizens.
The system was initiated after the Indian High Commission in Pakistan flagged a huge backlog of visa applications from Pakistani citizens for want of security clearance.
Restricted category
The official said that earlier, security agencies were given 40 days to do the checks before a visa was issued to a Pakistani citizen, but the duration was increased to 60 last year.
For the countries in the restricted category, such as Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, the visa applications have to be cleared by the Home Ministry.
During 2015, the Ministry issued a notification allowing Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Sikhs from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, who had fled religious persecution, to stay in India even after the expiry of their documents.
The decision was taken, it said, on “humanitarian grounds.”
It also issued an executive order to grant citizenship to members of the minority community who had entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2015, which would give constitutional backing to the order is being studied by a joint committee of Parliament.
