By IANS
Islamabad : Britain could relocate some sections of its high commission here to other countries in the neighbourhood due to security concerns.
Many other countries could follow suit as the diplomatic community here is increasingly worried over the rise in terrorist attacks in the capital and elsewhere in Pakistan, a media report Friday said.
“Some of our functions may move overseas,” The News Friday quoted a British High Commission official as saying, even as it speculated that the mission’s visa section could shift to Dubai with only a token representation here to receive applications.
Other embassies and high commissions in Islamabad could follow suit, the newspaper quoted an interior ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying.
The official, however, explained that the “request from the British mission was more than five months old and that the ministry had initially disagreed with this”, The News said.
“This (interim) government has responded prudently to the demand of enhanced security and that is why the first step in this direction has been beefing up the posse at the British High Commission and other high commissions and embassies,” the official added.
Another official said: “It might be Dubai or maybe some other location, where the Pakistani visa-seekers’ applications would be processed on receipt at a window to be retained in Islamabad.”
The British mission here was guarded in its response to a questionnaire submitted by The News on the issue.
“The British High Commission here in Pakistan remains committed to offering a first-rate visa service to our genuine customers, thereby ensuring that Britain remains the destination of choice,” it said.
“Recent developments here in Pakistan have seen the opening of the four visa application centres, introduction of premium visas, trusted partner schemes with Chambers of Commerce. We hope to fully roll out the online visa application process within the next two months,” the high commission stated.
“UK Visas are exploring ways to ensure that the network of visa issuing posts makes the most of our resources, provides the best operational platform for business improvements and critically maintains our high standards of customer service. One of the options available to us is centralising parts of the decision-making process in regional hubs.
“There are no plans to close the visa section in Pakistan as a result of network restructuring, but some of our functions may move overseas. The British High Commission and UK Visas remain committed to providing a first-class service to genuine applicants,” it added.
A former Pakistani diplomat had another take on the issue.
“There must be some special security worries in Pakistan that necessitate such actions on the part of the British High Commission and maybe more requests will hit the interior ministry in this connection,” he said.
“If this happened, Pakistan would be facing the consequences of security-advisory redraft by most of the Western countries and the United States,” he added.
“The most serious consequence would, however, be of Pakistani data landing in foreign hands on foreign soil, which is a worrisome situation,” he said.