June 6, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 24,1423

NEW DELHI, June 5: Britain and Australia, which are among more than a dozen nations that have cut their diplomatic staff in India because of fears of war, say they plan to limit visa services.

The two missions said on Wednesday they were taking the step to limit visa applications from Indian nationals to travel to their countries because of the reduction in non-essential employees.

“The curtailment of the visa service results from an overall reduction in staffing levels...owing to the present situation between India and Pakistan,” the British High Commission said in a statement.

A British High Commission official denied Indian newspaper speculations suggesting the announcement was linked to British reports that London planned to ask Europe to share the burden of an influx of up to 150,000 refugees from Pakistan and India if the two countries went to war.

“UK leads way as West shuts door on Indians,” a headline in the leading Indian financial daily, the Economic Times, said.

“It’s nonsense,” the official said, adding full visa services were still available for Kolkata and Chennai residents.

Last Friday, the United States, Britain and many other western governments said they were cutting staff levels at their missions in India and urged tens of thousands of their nationals to leave because of war fears.—Reuters