Pakistan’s visa rate reaches $750 in black market

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some agents in collaboration with staff-members of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul manage to get Pakistan’s visas for up to $750, a claim rejected by the embassy.

Pakistan provides up to 1,000 visas daily to Afghans and business visas are excluded from this number and every ordinary visa is charged $8.8 to accommodate the online service only.

Most individuals and tourist companies offer online registration for Pakistani visa applicants. These sources have installed their plague and made advertisement on social media for advertisement purpose.

A man named himself Jameel told Pajhwok Afghan News that he has contact with a staff member of Pakistani embassy and he provides Pakistan visa within 10 days against $200.

Jameel shared a vice clip of the embassy staff member who was collaborating with him in getting the visa. He says: “If two applicants want I could forward the two cases and their work will be done.”

He said within Pakistan embassy some staff members issued visa through outsider agents against money.

Facebook pages also advertise for Pakistan visas.

A facebook page — Online Service — reads: “Get Pakistan visa from City Online Service — one month single entry visa within 24 hours against $350, three months medical visa within two days against $550, through user application 700 afs, through tracking ID 3,500 afs, and cancelling of visa through passport 4,500 afs. Contact No: What’s App 078279428, 0765542146. Address: Pul-i-Chakhi Bazaar, Jabbarkhel Market, basement, City Online Service.”

A member of the Aya Walizada tourist organization in Kabul said they offered Pakistan’s one year visa in 48 hours against $750, in four days against $600 and in ten days against $500.

He claimed Pakistani officials charged money on him against every single visa but did not clarify what amount he is charged.

Member of the Sherzad Toursit Company said they offered three months multiple visa of Pakistan against $450, one year visa against $610, adding that he could not give the time of visa arrival.

This company also claims they provide Pakistani visa to people in cooperation with some staff members of the Pakistani embassy.

RahimullahRasikh, a resident of Kabul who is now living in London, said he had obtained visas for four members of his family in two days at a cost of $320 each in collaboration with Sherzad Travel Company.

Karim, another resident of Kabul, said he had obtained six Pakistani visas a few days ago, each for $600 in a short period.

However, Pakistani embassy denies selling the country’s visas at higher prices and the embassy’s contacts with commissioners.

Abdul Bari, visa counselor at Pakistani embassy in Kabul, said that with the exception of business visas, all types of other visas are free for Afghans and only $8.18 is charged for online visa service.

“We strongly deny the allegations that the embassy officers have links with commissioners and there is no evidence on the regard. We normally issue visas to anyone and tell people to apply on their own, not by commissioners” he said.

He said that he had discussed the issue of commissioners several times with the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize all commissioners and set up a mechanism to regulate them and specify the costs of the services.

Sometimes there are delays in issuing visas because the required information is not provided by the visa applicants or the visa applicants do not respond early for review, he said.

SafiullahSabirzai, another resident of Kabul, also said that he had applied for a visa on October 25 last year.

He said, “I received a message after 15 days that I did not mention my address in Pakistan properly and did not include phone number of another person, that was reason my visa was approved in two months. I did not pay extra money to anyone except the visa fee.”

“If required information and documents are shared with us for medical and business visas, we will issue them as soon as possible, but unfortunately 90 percent of applicants submit fake documents for business visas which we have no choice but to reject,” Bari said.

He asked visa applicants to apply for visas by themselves and do not ask help from commissioners.

He hoped that the Government of Afghanistan would soon regulate commissioners’ services for visas.

Pajhwok shared the issue with spokesmen of the caretaker government of Afghanistan a week ago, but no one responded so far.

nh/mds/ma

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