Prime Minister Imran Khan will announce a new visa policy for 190 countries to promote tourism and investments in the country today.
As per the new visa policy, e-visa facility will initially provided to five countries namely Turkey, China, Malaysia, United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. The citizens of these countries will be able to apply for Pakistani visa via email at a $8 fee.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry while speaking to journalists a day earlier said, “Later on the policy will be extended to 170 countries.”
“Ninety countries will be offered business visa, while 55 countries will be granted visa on arrival,” he added.
“Visa fee has been reduced significantly to attract more and more tourists to Pakistan,” he added. Passenger identification system for e-visa facility has been installed at Karachi and Lahore airports, while it will be also be installed at other airports across the country later, Chaudhry shared.
The information minister further said a visa policy for journalists is also being worked on to facilitate western journalists, which will have a reciprocal effect for Pakistani mediapersons.
“The government is writing to the Indian Embassy to grant visas to Pakistani journalists, who want to cover the upcoming general elections in India,” he stated.