Hamid Abbas Lafta, the Iraqi ambassador to Pakistan, met with Chaudhry Salik Hussain, the Minister of Overseas Pakistan, and Mohsin Naqvi, the Minister of Interior, to discuss methods to enhance the travel experience for Pakistani pilgrims visiting Iraq.
The main goal of the gathering was to reduce the cost and facilitate Pakistani Muslims’ religious pilgrimage to Iraq.
The potential of free entry visas for pilgrims from Pakistan and an increase in the annual number of visitors were the main points of discussion.
Travel agents charging pilgrims exorbitant costs have deeply concerned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who pledged to take legal action against those who flout the law.
Additionally, he asked the Iraqi administration to take into account the possibility of allowing Pakistani pilgrims to remain in Iraq with their passports.
The ambassador of Iraq pledged complete collaboration to facilitate travel for Pakistani pilgrims and furnished a roster of travel brokers who had been overcharging guests. In response, Minister Naqvi promised to take action within a week against these agents.
Additionally, a speedy completion of a visa waiver agreement for diplomats and officials from both nations was agreed upon by the two parties.
Furthermore, an agreement between Pakistan and Iraq is being worked on to facilitate the process of obtaining work permits in Iraq for Pakistani workers.
Minister Naqvi was also congratulated by the Iraqi envoy on his new role and extended an invitation for him to come to Iraq.
The interior minister also asked that the quota for Pakistani pilgrims entering Iraq be doubled this year, and that the requirement that they submit their passports upon entry be waived, as he believed that this would present issues for them when they return.
In order to accommodate pilgrims from Pakistan, the Iraqi envoy pledged to work with Pakistan in this area. Additionally, a list of travel agencies that had overcharged pilgrims was sent by the Iraqi envoy. Within a week, the interior minister promised that these travel agents would face severe consequences.
The two parties decided at the meeting to quickly complete an agreement regarding the waiver of visa requirements for holders of official and diplomatic passports.
