Praying for a visa-free zone
by Rabia Ali
The hurdles faced by those wanting to visit holy sites in India
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
When Sardar Ramesh Singh enters the awe-inspiring Golden Temple in Amristar, one of the prayers on his lips is for India and Pakistan to be a visa-free zone for each other. "Throughout my stay at the holy shrine, I pray for Pakistan and India to be a visa-free zone so that people from both countries can visit one another without any barriers, restrictions or difficulties," says Singh, who recently headed a group of around 167 Pakistani Sikh and Hindu yatrees (pilgrims) visiting religious sites in India. One of their aims was to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism.
Though Singh feels he is extremely fortunate to be able to visit the divine places every year because of his role in helping to acquire visas for pilgrims, he is very aware of the restrictions imposed on ordinary visa applicants, making the process of traveling across the border cumbersome and difficult.
The visa form is available only on the Indian High Commissioner website which creates many problems for those who are illiterate and do not have access to the internet.
"Most people in our community do not own computers. So our applicants have to pay agents to fill out the forms online. Then there is the issue of the limited time period for which we are allowed to stay in India as we do not get visa for more than a month. After spending so much money on travel and so forth, we would want to spend time with our people there, explore and visit new places," said Singh, adding sadly, "but that does not happen due to the shortage of time."
"It's not just the Hindu community, other communities also have relatives living in India. Due to the visa regime, families on both sides are divided, even married couples are sometimes separated because of the visa constraints," says Ramesh Kumar, Patron, Pakistan Hindu Council.
"Since both countries share the same culture, language, history and traditions why not remove the restrictions and let them meet one another. Why are there so many hurdles when there are so many similarities between us? Both governments should abolish the visa system and let people come close to one another."
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
The hurdles faced by those wanting to visit holy sites in India
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
When Sardar Ramesh Singh enters the awe-inspiring Golden Temple in Amristar, one of the prayers on his lips is for India and Pakistan to be a visa-free zone for each other. "Throughout my stay at the holy shrine, I pray for Pakistan and India to be a visa-free zone so that people from both countries can visit one another without any barriers, restrictions or difficulties," says Singh, who recently headed a group of around 167 Pakistani Sikh and Hindu yatrees (pilgrims) visiting religious sites in India. One of their aims was to commemorate the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism.
Though Singh feels he is extremely fortunate to be able to visit the divine places every year because of his role in helping to acquire visas for pilgrims, he is very aware of the restrictions imposed on ordinary visa applicants, making the process of traveling across the border cumbersome and difficult.
The visa form is available only on the Indian High Commissioner website which creates many problems for those who are illiterate and do not have access to the internet.
"Most people in our community do not own computers. So our applicants have to pay agents to fill out the forms online. Then there is the issue of the limited time period for which we are allowed to stay in India as we do not get visa for more than a month. After spending so much money on travel and so forth, we would want to spend time with our people there, explore and visit new places," said Singh, adding sadly, "but that does not happen due to the shortage of time."
"It's not just the Hindu community, other communities also have relatives living in India. Due to the visa regime, families on both sides are divided, even married couples are sometimes separated because of the visa constraints," says Ramesh Kumar, Patron, Pakistan Hindu Council.
"Since both countries share the same culture, language, history and traditions why not remove the restrictions and let them meet one another. Why are there so many hurdles when there are so many similarities between us? Both governments should abolish the visa system and let people come close to one another."
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Visa regime & national identity
Thursday, July 15, 2010
by Faiza Moatasim
One of the positive issues taken up by the Aman ki Asha initiative is the aggressive campaign to force revisions in the ridiculous visa regimes for citizens of India and .....more
Thursday, July 15, 2010
by Faiza Moatasim
One of the positive issues taken up by the Aman ki Asha initiative is the aggressive campaign to force revisions in the ridiculous visa regimes for citizens of India and .....more
Searching for Aftab Manzil
Thursday, July 08, 2010
by Sehar Tariq
In 1947, Aftab Omar and his wife AshfaqJehan Begum packed a suitcase, locked the front door of their house in Meerut, got on a tonga for the railway station and left for .....more
Thursday, July 08, 2010
by Sehar Tariq
In 1947, Aftab Omar and his wife AshfaqJehan Begum packed a suitcase, locked the front door of their house in Meerut, got on a tonga for the railway station and left for .....more
Cutting off a nose to spite a face?
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
by Murtaza Ali Shah in London
Local economies would benefit hugely if India and Pakistan lifted the visa restrictions that prevent visits from foreign citizens with links to the other country .....more
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
by Murtaza Ali Shah in London
Local economies would benefit hugely if India and Pakistan lifted the visa restrictions that prevent visits from foreign citizens with links to the other country .....more
Even in death
Friday, July 02, 2010
by Urvashi Butalia
A friend once told me a strange story about visas. Her uncle, an Indian married to a Pakistani and working in a third country, died in a country he was visiting on busine .....more
Friday, July 02, 2010
by Urvashi Butalia
A friend once told me a strange story about visas. Her uncle, an Indian married to a Pakistani and working in a third country, died in a country he was visiting on busine .....more
Side-effect Constant, for sure
Friday, July 02, 2010
by Harris Khalique
Seasoned Indian diplomat and legislator Mani Shankar Aiyar, in his column titled "Constant or Composite?" has pleaded for an uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue pr .....more
Friday, July 02, 2010
by Harris Khalique
Seasoned Indian diplomat and legislator Mani Shankar Aiyar, in his column titled "Constant or Composite?" has pleaded for an uninterrupted and uninterruptible dialogue pr .....more
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The Jang Group has entered into an agreement with the Times of India Group, the largest media group of India, to campaign for peace betw
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