ISLAMABAD: In view of the gains made by the country against terrorism, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday called for a review of the travel advisories on Pakistan imposed by some Western countries.

Speaking at a forum on Gandhara Heritage at the Foreign Office — which was attended by Islamabad-based foreign envoys — the foreign minister said that countries having advisories on Pakistan should remove them so that their citizens could visit the country.

Pakistan’s tourism potential was badly hit by the wave of terrorism, which it suffered over the past decade and a half. Advisories by different Western countries played an important role in decreasing the tourist traffic to Pakistan.

However, the terrorist threat has declined significantly even though the fight against militancy and extremism is far from over. Notwithstanding the progress made by Pakistan and developments like British Airways’ decision to resume flights to Pakistan; Portugal dropping its travel advisories on Pakistan; and the flexibility being shown by France on the issue, many key countries including the US, the UK and Canada are still cautioning their citizens against travelling to Pakistan.

The government has relaxed its visa regime offering visa on arrival for citizens from 50 countries.

Kashmir Day

Earlier speaking at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs that met at the Foreign Office, Mr Qureshi briefed the senators about the International Conference on Kashmir being held in London on Feb 4. He invited the committee to the event.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2019