(Afghanistan Times): Having been affected by the decades of turmoil and lost almost all the infrastructural institutions including hospitals, Afghans have chosen Pakistan as a cost effective and an accessible destination for treatment. Though people get convenient cure in the hospitals of Peshawar, Pakistan, but still there are some obstacles that disturb the Afghan patients in Pakistan—visa issue being one of them, which has proven to be a heinous problem for ordinary Afghans who can hardly afford the expenses and visit to Pakistan. After the sprint in repatriation of the Afghan immigrants to Afghanistan, and the political tensions that have surged between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Pakistan government have started closing the Turkham crossing and the new immigration rules have been imposed by the Pakistani officials that caused hindrances for the Afghans who used to visit Pakistan for treatment, this practice has turned out to be forcing the Afghans to stand in lines for hours for Pakistani visa issuance at the consulate of Pakistan, Nangarhar. Reports show that every day around 1800 Pakistani visas are issued to Afghans in Pakistan consulate at Nangarhar; people have to rush up to the consulate before the dawn to grab turns at the queue to get their visas issued on time. standing at queue has proven fatigue for the people, as they have to bear the unfair treatment of the security guards, patients are forced to stand at line regardless of how and what illness they suffer. Issuance of a limit number of visas has resulted in the emergence of extreme complications that are not bearable for the compelled Afghans to confront with, according to reports; many old age people have died due suffocation, losing conscious, becoming faint while they are standing at queues for too long. “I have been waiting for 6 days to get my visa issued, I have to sleep on footpath with my two female family members, both are suffering serious illness of having stones in their stomachs, we are forced to bear this misery in hope of getting the visa, because there is no other alternative left for us” Said Shakur in an interview with Mashal Radio. Officials of the Pakistan’s consulate at Jalalabad claimed in a press conference that they issue around 1800 visas each day, but they receive approximately 4000 visas applications every day, which is quite difficult to handle. The applicants include both male and female elders and youngsters.
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