JOIN USAs some Pakistanis with suspected links with terror outfits purportedly obtained passports from Afghanistan, New Delhi has advised Kabul to tighten its procedure for issuing the travel document.
New Delhi also put the embassy of India in Kabul on alert and asked it to be cautious while issuing visas to people with passports issued by the Afghan government.
Officials in New Delhi told DH that the move to tighten the procedure for issuing visas to Afghans for visit to India had been initiated after reports by intelligence agencies indicated that several Pakistanis with shadowy credentials had obtained passports from the government of Afghanistan in the recent years.
Afghan passport-holders seeking visas from Embassy of India in Kabul are now required to submit their recent bank statements demonstrating financial ability to pay all costs of the trip.
Minor applicants aged 15 or below and dependents, who do not have individual bank accounts, will have to submit bank statements of their parents or spouses or children, according to the recent procedures for seeking visa notified by the embassy of India in Kabul. A large number of Afghans are issued visas every month to travel to India, mostly for studies or medical purposes and quite a few for business related works.
The new procedures notified by the embassy of India in Kabul required visa-seekers employed with private companies or with government establishments to submit letters from employers certifying their employment. The letters should also mention telephone numbers of contact persons who can be contacted by the embassy for verification.