Sushma offers medical visa to Pakistani baby

Sticking to her promise made on Independence Day, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday said that a Pakistani baby who is in a critical condition will be given a medical visa for treatment in India.

Responding to a tweet from one Irfan Shah and another from Syed Saif Ullah - both from Quetta, Balochistan - seeking help for baby Rohaan who is in a critical condition, Sushma Swaraj tweeted: "We will give medical visa for his treatment in India."

On the occasion of Independence Day, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that India will provide medical visas to all bona fide Pakistani patients.

In a tweet on August 15, Sushma Swaraj said: "On the auspicious occasion of India's Independence day, we will grant medical visa in all bonafide cases pending with us."

As ties between the two countries soured over various issues, the ministry had announced in May that only a letter of recommendation by then Pakistan Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz will enable a Pakistani national to get a medical visa for India.

The action was termed "highly regrettable" by Islamabad, who said that asking for a letter from the Foreign Affairs Adviser was "against diplomatic norms" and that "such a requirement has not been prescribed for any other country".

However, on July 18, a patient from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, seeking treatment in New Delhi for a liver tumour, was granted a visa. Sushma Swaraj said that he needed no recommendation from the Pakistan government for a medical visa because the territory is "an integral part of India".

--IANS

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