The number of visas issued to Pakistanis registered a steep fall this year, while its demand from Bangladesh saw an increase, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
In a written reply to the lower House, Rijiju said a total of 34,445 visas were issued to Pakistan in 2017 compared to 52,525 in 2016.
The minister said the number of visas issued to Bangladesh, however, increased to 1,289,332 in 2017 as compared to 933,695 in 2016.
Officials said that increased hostilities between India and Pakistan since the January 2, 2016 Pathankot attack and the ongoing skirmishes on the border with Pakistani troopers had an impact on the bilateral relations of the two countries, resulting in rejection of visa applications considering security concerns.
They also said that thousands of applications were pending for long citing security clearance.
Citizens of both countries have families across the border and visit religious places in large numbers.
In 2012, India and Pakistan signed a liberalised visa agreement that proposed a time-bound approval to boost trade and people-to-people contact.
--IANS
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