KARACHI: The Indian High Commission on Friday issued visas to an ailing two-and-a-half-year-old Pakistani boy and his parents after Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj promised they would be allowed to travel to India for treatment.

Earlier this week, Ken Sid, a Pakistani national, reached out to Ms Swaraj on Twitter for a medical visa as his son had a heart complication which could not be treated in Pakistan. The tweet was acknowledged by Ms Swaraj on Thursday, holding out the assurance that the child “will not suffer”.

On Friday, the Indian High Commission issued four-month medical visas to the family for the boy’s treatment in India, reported Dawn.com.

Hospitals in India, like the Apollo hospital in New Delhi, have previously reported receiving around 500 patients from Pakistan every month. In 2015, five-year-old Basma from Pakistan was granted a visa to India for an emergency liver transplant.

Recently, however, the visa process for travellers who want to visit India for medical reasons has slowed as tension continues to soar between the two countries.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2017