Pakistan has eased visa restrictions for aid workers from all countries except India and Israel to help the nation deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the devastating floods.
All Pakistani missions abroad have been authorised by the Interior Ministry to “grant three months “Relief Work'' visa to aid workers/relief providers [except from India and Israel] taking part in relief/rescue operation for the flood victims''. This facility will be available to all U. N. officials and international aid workers also.
Additionally, aid workers from well-known organisations will be granted Visa on Arrival free-of-cost initially for three months by the Federal Investigation Agency (Immigration) at entry points including airports.
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While security considerations had forced the United Nations to scale down its international staff presence in Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa to the bare minimum last year, the government had also imposed restrictions on international aid workers in view of the attacks on them by terrorist outfits who questioned their motives. Still, the visa regime had been flagged as a constraint by several donor agencies in the wake of the floods and Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi had indicated earlier this month that the standard operating practice would be relaxed.
However, according to the former Senator, Sanaullah Baloch, international aid workers and NGOs were still being prevented from going to Balochistan. Criticising the decision and demanding that aid be equally distributed to all four federating units of the country, he wrote in The Dawn that “the National Disaster Management Authority has banned international donor agencies, aid organisations and NGOs from directly assisting the flood-affected people of the province''.