Dhaka/Islamabad: Amid strained relations, Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad has stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals for one week over a fresh diplomatic row. The diplomatic row between Bangladesh and Pakistan is on the rise since last year when Dhaka denied visa to the Pakistan high commissioner.
The foreign office in Dhaka is yet to confirm the news and no official notification has been issued. But a foreign ministry official said the Bangladeshi diplomat in charge of issuing visas refrained from processing the application by Pakistanis as the country’s authorities had been sitting on his own official visa renewal application for the past four months.
Pakistani high commission in Dhaka is not processing his family members’ visa applications, barring Bangladesh high commission’s press and visa affairs councillor Iqbal Hossain from meeting his family, the official said. “The visa counter in Bangladesh high commission in Islamabad has been closed since May 13,” reports quoted Hossain as saying.
Officials in the Pakistani high commission were not available for comments. Pakistan apparently has delayed the renewal of the visa after Dhaka refused to accept the nomination of the new high commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh for over a year.
