ISLAMABAD, July 2: The government of Pakistan has decided to issue new criteria for obtaining Pakistani visa by Indian nationals. According to a press release issued here on Saturday, the recent thaw in India-Pakistan relations had invited a large number of requests (from Indians) for obtaining Pakistani visa and the authorities failed to process the requests as the applicants often did not follow the laid-down procedure.

The authorities issued new criteria for the Indian nationals seeking Pakistani visa, keeping in view the troubles faced by individuals or groups intent on visiting Pakistan. Accordingly, a visa request on prescribed form of the Interior Division must be delivered to the division at least eight weeks in advance which must be accompanied by photocopies of a valid passport.

The request forms for Pakistani visa can be obtained from section officer (India) of the Interior Division, Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi, or it may be downloaded from website of the Ministry of Interior (www.interior.gov.pk).

For cultural/sports functions, the Ministry of Culture, Sports & Youth Affairs must be contacted, it said, adding that visa requests for Indian delegates will be processed only after they are received through the said ministry.

The handout said that visa processing was delayed due to not following the set procedure which caused embarrassment on both ends. The successful processing will take place only through following the laid-down procedure.