PoK is an integral part of India, no Pak letter needed for medical visa, says Sushma Swaraj

Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj approved the medical visa for 24-year-old Osama Ali on Tuesday even as Pakistan fails to fulfil India’s request for a recommendation letter.

Ali, a resident of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), was diagnosed with a tumour in the liver and has been seeking a visa for getting medical treatment in a private hospital in Delhi. In order for Ali to get a visa, he has to submit a letter of recommendation from Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistan prime minister’s advisor on foreign affairs.

Request for such letters were made by the Indian government in May, after Pakistan failed to respond to former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother’s request for visa. Letters were required to ensure that such requests were genuine, according to reports.

Swaraj waived the letter of recommendation after Ali’s plea which included a claim that Aziz had refused to write a letter to the Indian government.

“PoK is an integral part of India. Pakistan has illegally occupied it. We are giving him visa. No letter required,” Swaraj was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times.