By NNN-PTI,
Islamabad : Pakistan government has drawn flak from academicians in the country for adopting “delaying tactics” in issuing visas to Indian scholars which has prevented them from attending a seminar in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Sixteen Indian scholars, who were invited for the seminar, will be unable to attend the event because of the Pakistan government’s “lengthy process” for issuing visas, the organisers of the event have said.
“The Indian scholars who were formally invited to the seminar were not flatly refused visas, but the delaying tactics by the authorities concerned stopped them from crossing the border for the event,”
Zubair, general secretary of the Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association and Peshawar University Teachers Association, told The News daily.
Around 1,000 delegates from around the world are expected to attend the seminar on “Higher Education: trends and prospects”, which is being organised by the Peshawar University Teachers Association and Higher Education Commission at the University of Peshawar from July 19.
Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Association central president Arbab Khan Afridi too flayed the government for not issuing visas to the Indian scholars in time.
In a statement, he noted that members of FAPUASA and PUTA had visited India four times. He said it was a matter of “grave concern” that the Pakistan government was not willing to issue visas to Indian academics.
Afridi also said his organisation would stage a protest against the government.