KARACHI (PTI):The escalating cold war between India and Pakistan has caused untold hardship to thousands of families divided in the wo countries and has hit cultural exchanges As yet no thaw is in sight

People queuing up at the Indian Consulate here despair about their chances of making it to India which was once their home

The Indian Consulate here had 64 staff which was stashed to 16 including drivers and Peons after the Pakistani government order party in   total staff strength in the two countries.

As a result the number of visas issued daily has plunged from 800 to 60. “AE are very liberal in giving visas to whoever going to India to meet their close blood relatives but with fewer hands we are unable to cope with the demand” senior Consulate official said

Back in New Delhi inside the Pakistan high commission a woman in a veil sobbed as she pleaded with the official for Visa for herself to visit her ailing mother in Lahore. The man took away her passport promising to do what he can

Nearly 50 million people are said to have crossed the border both ways after partition in the largest migration recorded in history. Immunity cases only part of the family chosen to move over.

Visas are given for particular city and not the entire country and one must enter from the port of entry mentioned in the visa. An Indian for instance cannot fly to Karachi and return home via Lahore.

Situation is the same for Pakistanis too Owais Aslam Ali general manager and editor of the Pakistan Press International (PPE) said he was not allowed to proceed to Madras from Unit recently as port of entry was Madras. He had to go back to Pakistan ‘and take a flight to Madras He said

While those from Bangladesh Sri Lanka and Nepal coming to attend seminars or meetings are given visas for entire Pakistan and for one month Indians are given visas for a specific City and specific period say 10 days.

The situation appears to be going from bad to worse The Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad was recently reported to have been denicd permission to Visit another city on the ground that request has to come at least one week in advance. Later on a Scheduled visit of the Pakistan high commissioner to Calcutta was also not allowed as the request for permission was received at the foreign Office in New Delhi only five days in advance.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 18, 1994