From: onf@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (omar.farooq)
Subject: re: Islamic World News and False Claims.
Organization: AT&T
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 19:03:17 GMT

Article 26252 (1 more) in soc.culture.pakistan:
From: B.Kumar@cs.ucl.ac.uk
Subject: Islamic World News and False Claims.
Date: 29 Jul 92 16:32:19 GMT


One gentleman named  Omar Farooq onf@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (omar.farooq)
had recently made claim that he had visited some remote village in Punjab
three years back and seen some old mosques being converted to Gurudwaras
after 1947. I have no doubt to say this gentleman made such lofty claims
even without having any idea that how difficult it is to get a mutual
VISA between India and Pakistan to visit a place unless you have a *blood*
relative or have a *celebrity* status ( usually film star or sports
personality). Even accredited journalists working with foreign news agencies
but with Indian Passports are refused VISA by Pakistani Governments even to
visit Islamabad or Karanchi. For someone to claim that he got permission to
visit a remote village without having a relative there, is absolutely
unbelievable.

This clearly shows that claims he has made to visit Punjab were completely
untrue and outrageous, and meant to create bad feelings amongst people.
It is suprising that how  young students can make such (false) claims
without any factual basis to support on public forum.

If Mr Omar still thinks that he really visited India three years back, he
can send me his VISA number and Date and place of issue, I will get it
verified from computer records of people entering the country from ministry.
Mr Omar has yet to respond to my request earliar posted on this forum three
days back for the same. I hope Mr Omar or anyone else will desist making
such claims in future just to support onesided news posted in the name of
Islamic World News.
With Best Regards,

bkumar
-------------------------

Those claims are quite true.  Whether visas for Pakistanis and Indians in their
respective countries are impossible to get, is something I am not familliar withHowever, Pakistani citizens in USA with a greencard have had little problem
getting visas to India and likewise for Indian citizens with Greencards to go to
Pakistan.  I have Indian friends from College who have come to Pakistan with me 
as tourists.  So I am speaking about the visas granted to those in the US not
around the world.  And in case you missed my response (I can't recall the
article number), I do have cousins of uncles and aunts in Delhi who never left
India after 1947.
Those are the people I visited and from there you only have to notify every
week to the local police station, about your whereabouts so that they know
at all times where you are.  So although my original intention was not to
visit villages, I ended up going there.  The police in Pak/India are far
too inefficient to run around tracking foreign citizens when they
have lootings and briberies to take.  So on paper they seem to be stringent
about your movement in the country but unless you are a nuclear scientist or
a military general, they don't give a damn about where you took a bus or train
to the past week.

In my previous response I did give the phone number to the Indian Consulate in
New York and they simply require your passport, greencard, $2.00 and 4 photos.
The rest comes out at the end of the day.

Whether you think I am supporting IWN(Is. world news) is your opinion.  I am 
merely putting forth certain observations in view of what I read.  Interpret
my comments any way you want, knock yourself out!
Although my old passport expired and had to be turned in for a new one,
I'll try to find photocopies and inquire from the Pakistani Consulate about
its whereabouts or try to get a record from the Indian Consulate.  

I know, now you are gonna say that the expired passport is an excuse.  Well it's
not!!!  I am a frequent traveller and my passports either expire or run out of
space sooner thatn most people's.  So hold that thought right there.

Go to Punjab yourself when you have the time and learn some truth as well!
You seem more one-sided to me than many including myself.  I have merely stated
that Mosques and Mandirs alike have been desecrated and then reconverted and
some left alone.  That was all!  You seem to be imposing your limited
perspective of your exposure to VISA regulations without inquiring from your
own country's consulates around the world, in hopes of using that as a way
to hush up others simple observations!

Cheers,
Omar
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