Sushma Swaraj Offers Medical Visa To Pakistani Child With Heart Ailment
New Delhi: Sushma Swaraj kept her word made on Independence Day by saying that a Pakistani baby who is in a critical condition will be given a medical visa for treatment in India.
Rohaan is A newborn Baby .. He Has a Heart Problem . There is No Hospital in Pak To Treat him .. india Can .#HelpBabyRohaan #Sajidjaved — Fawad (@IYFian) August 28, 2017 We will give medical visa for his treatment in India. @IndiainPakistan @djmehwish @MeTheFixer pic.twitter.com/w4zpGZEgNc — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 29, 2017
As ties between the two countries soured over various issues, the ministry had announced in May that only a letter of recommendation by then Pakistan Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz will enable a Pakistani national to get a medical visa for India. The action was termed "highly regrettable" by Islamabad, who said that asking for a letter from the Foreign Affairs Adviser was "against diplomatic norms" and that "such a requirement has not been prescribed for any other country".
However, on July 18, a patient from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, seeking treatment in New Delhi for a liver tumour, was granted a visa. Sushma Swaraj said that he needed no recommendation from the Pakistan government for a medical visa because the territory is "an integral part of India".
