Bangladesh didn’t stop visas to Pakistanis: FM

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that Bangladesh did not stop issuing visas to Pakistanis as reported by the media.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 21 May 2019, 09:05 AM
Updated : 21 May 2019, 10:02 AM

“We didn’t stop visas to anyone. Some individuals may not get visa, which happens across the world. But we did not stop visas to Pakistanis,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

A diplomatic row opened after war crimes trials started in Dhaka in 2010. Pakistan was issuing statements against the trial since the beginning.

On Monday, the media reported that Bangladesh stopped issuing visas to Pakistan nationals.

A source told bdnews24.com that the issuance of visas was difficult in Islamabad over the last one week because of officer shortage. But the Bangladesh mission in Karachi continued to issue visas.

Foreign Minister Momen said there was no officer in the consular wing of the Bangladesh mission in Islamabad for long. Pakistan did not grant a visa to a newly appointed officer.

“Our high commissioner gave the task to another officer. But his visa also expired. Pakistan did not renew his visa either,” he said.

Momen, however, could not explain what led to the impasse, but hoped Pakistan would settle the issue. “We are in touch with them.”

Asked whether it was a retaliation for Bangladesh’s decision not to accept Pakistan’s proposed new high commissioner last year, the foreign minister said: “It’s a non-issue in the sense that they sent a name as their candidate. We could not accept that. So they will give another name. It’s a normal practice.”

Pakistan did not provide any new name as its new high commissioner.

“We have no problem. If they give a new name, we’ll accept that.”