Islamabad: Two Indian journalists Meena Menon of 'The Hindu' and Snehesh Alex Philip of the Press Trust of India (PTI) based in Islamabad have been asked to leave Pakistan in a week's time after their visas were not renewed for the last two months. The Pakistan government has not given any reason for the move.
According to reports, Snehesh Alex Philip and Meena Menon were "verbally" told by the Pakistani foreign ministry on Thursday that they should leave the country "within a week".
Philip and Menon went to Pakistan in August 2013 and were given visas for three months and they were renewed every three months.
Their visas were valid until March 9 and both journalists had submitted applications to renew them before the expiry date. After the visas expired, they were issued letters stating their visa renewals were being processed. This is standard practice for foreign journalists in Pakistan according to a report in 'The Indian Express'.
Philip and Menon asked the officials in the Pakistani foreign ministry to inform them about this "in writing". However, they have not received any communication.
While their visas were not renewed, it is also learnt that Philip's wife - who had been given a single-entry visa - came back to India in December and had not been given a visa to return to Islamabad to join her husband.
Pakistan and India have an agreement that each is allowed two journalists in the other's capital New Delhi and Islamabad: one from a news agency and the other from a newspaper. There has not been a journalist from Pakistan in Delhi since 2011.
Comments
0 comment