Pak unlikely to issue visas to 400 Indian docs ready to help flood victims

ISLAMABAD - Nearly 400 Indian doctors, who are waiting for the Pakistan government’s nod to help flood victims, are unlikely to get visas to visit the disaster-stricken country.

Nationalist leaders in Pakistan have welcomed the offer from nearly 400 Indian doctors and paramedics to work in the flood hit areas of Sindh and other inundated parts of the country, saying it would bring a message of love from across the border, but fears are that Islamabad would not allow them to enter the country.

“There couldn’t be a better time for this to happen, but there are certain sections that do not want peace and I feel that they (Indian doctors) might not get the permission,” The Express Tribune quoted AH Nayyar, president of the Pakistan Peace Coalition (PPC), as saying.

Nayyar criticised the Pakistani authorities for creating hurdles for the Indian support staff.

“While the Indians are trying to get visas, the attitude of our government suggests that their efforts won’t be encouraged. The Interior and Foreign ministries will both come up with several security related reasons and eventually, the visas will be refused,” he said. (ANI)