Sushma Swaraj approves visa for ailing PoK resident, says no letter from Aziz needed

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday waived the condition of a letter from Pakistan’s Foreign Adviser Sartaj Aziz for an ailing PoK resident to get a visa and said he would be allowed to come here as Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir was an integral part of India.

Osama Ali, a 24-year old resident of Rawalkot in PoK, has been diagnosed with a tumour in his liver and wants to seek treatment in Delhi.

“POK is an integral part of India. Pakistan has illegally occupied it. We are giving him visa. No letter required,” Swaraj tweeted.

Ali’s family has appealed to Swaraj to revoke the requirement of a letter from Aziz for a medical emergency visa.

On July 10, Swaraj had reiterated the need for a letter by Aziz and expressed dismay over the lack of courtesy shown by her Pakistani counterpart, who she said had not even acknowledged her personal letter requesting for a Pakistani visa for Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother.

However, she assured Aziz that any Pakistani national seeking a medical visa to travel to India with his recommendation would be given one immediately.

In a series of tweets, Swaraj had said, “I have my sympathies for all Pakistan nationals seeking medical visa for their treatment in India. All that we require is his recommendation for the grant of medical visa to Pakistan nationals.”

She said a visa application was pending for Indian national Avantika Jadhav who wants to meet her son in Pakistan.

“I wrote a personal letter to Mr Sartaj Aziz for the grant of her visa to Pakistan. However, Mr Aziz has not shown the courtesy even to acknowledge my letter,” she had tweeted.

Jadhav, 46, was allegedly arrested by Pakistan in the restive Balochistan province last year. He has been sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism.