India and Israel are the only two countries whose aid workers will not be granted special visas by Pakistan to join relief efforts for the millions of people affected by the country's worst floods. Following a suggestion from Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi for easing visa regulations for foreign aid workers, the Interior Ministry decided to issue three-month "relief work" visas for those coming to Pakistan to join relief operations.
A letter sent by the Interior Ministry to the Foreign Office made it clear that this special facility will not be available to Indian and Israeli nationals. The Foreign Ministry was also asked to circulate the letter to all Pakistani missions abroad. According to a standard operating procedure approved by the government, Pakistan missions will grant three-month visas to aid workers joining the large-scale rescue and relief operations across the country.
Workers of reputed organisations will be granted visa on arrival free of charge by the Federal Investigation Agency at all entry points. Hundreds of aid workers and special personnel, including members of the armed forces of the US, Japan and other countries, are currently in Pakistan to aid the 20 million people affected by the floods.
US military helicopters have flown dozens of sorties in sensitive areas in northwest Pakistan. Though the government has barred the entry of Israeli and Indian aid workers, some Indian peace activists who recently visited Lahore had raised funds for flood victims by taking up a donation drive on the streets of the city.
Pakistan took almost a week to accept five million dollars offered by India for the flood victims. Media reports have suggested that Pakistan finally accepted the offer due to pressure from the US. Foreign Minister Qureshi announced the acceptance during a visit to the US, giving rise to speculation that the Pakistan government was pressured on the issue by the Obama administration.
Despite the liberal visa policy adopted by the government, there have been complaints that foreign aid workers are facing difficulty in reaching flood-hit areas of Balochistan, Pakistan's poorest and insurgency-hit province. Former Senator Sanaullah Baloch has said foreign workers and NGOs are being prevented from going to Balochistan.
He alleged that the National Disaster Management Authority had "banned international donor agencies, aid organisations and NGOs" from helping flood victims of the province. Pakistan had adopted a soft visa policy in the wake of the 2005 earthquake that hit parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
