INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Pakistan has decided that all citizens of neighboring Afghanistan will be required to enter the country with a valid passport and visa
starting next month, similar to travelers from other countries, VOA reported on Monday.The &one document regime& policy will replace the
decades-old practice of granting special travel permits to individuals with divided tribes straddling the Durand Line.The &passport as the
only traveling document is going to be implemented from November 1, 2023,& according to an official federal directive sent to immigration
authorities at all Afghan border crossings.&No other document shall be accepted to travel from Afghanistan to Pakistan,& the document
said. The Pakistani government has yet to make a formal announcement about the new policy. VOA cited a senior Pakistani official as saying
that Islamabad hopes the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) would cooperate in implementing the &one document regime& decision to help
deter illegal crossers, including militants and smugglers.The IEA did not immediately comment on the new travel requirements.The new policy
comes amid a nationwide crackdown on Afghans living illegally in Pakistan or not renewing their visas.Last Thursday, Pakistani caretaker
Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani announced that his government would deport illegal Afghan and other foreign immigrants.The post Pakistan
tightens entry rules for Afghan travelers first appeared on Ariana News.
