Kabul: India has started visa diplomacy to further relations with Afghanistan. After four years, India has started issuing visas again to Afghan citizens. The Hindu has given this information quoting government sources. For this, an online portal has been launched, which allows investors, artists, athletes, students and patients coming for treatment and their attendants as well as applications for UN diplomatic visas. This is happening at a time when tensions between India and Pakistan have increased since the Pahalgam terror attack. The Taliban government of Afghanistan condemned this attack.
Visas will be given in these categories
The visa categories issued on this portal, launched in late April, also include cultural persons participating in unpaid programs, property owners in India and family members studying in the country. Applicants will have to upload a photograph, valid passport and national identity card showing personal details, date of birth and passport expiry date.
Visas closed for four years
Earlier in August 2021, India stopped visa services for Afghans after the Taliban seized power in Kabul. It closed its embassy in Kabul and consulates in other cities. Along with this, thousands of existing visas were canceled, forcing hundreds of students to abandon the course.
Improving relations between India and Afghanistan
Although New Delhi has not yet issued any official statement in this regard, The Hindu has confirmed quoting a senior government official that the new Afghan visa section is now live on the Home Ministry's immigration website. The move has been taken amid growing diplomatic ties between India and the Taliban. This month, Indian Foreign Minister S. Subrahmanyam spoke on the phone with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. This was the first ministerial level talks between the two countries after the return of the Taliban to Kabul.
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