Any person desirous of travelling to a foreign country, unless exempted from visa requirement by the said country, has to obtain prior permission of that country's embassy located in his own country by applying for, and having a visa stamped on his passport. This becomes his permit to cross the political boundary of the foreign country, access to which is again dependent on the discretion of the immigration officer, who may or may not allow the traveller to proceed beyond the port of entry.
These are just some impediments today in moving around freely in the world compared to less than a century back when people could travel from country to country without restrictions. As the world is shrinking rapidly in terms of distances the void between countries and nations is expanding even more sharply. The need to travel - for fun and leisure, for education, for getting medical treatment, for visiting family and friends, for attending seminars and conferences, for business deals, for explorations, for employment or even for seeking permanent abodes - is inherent in the human nature. So, those who can afford to travel do so but then they also have to abide by the rules that govern their movement in and out of the countries.
Under the circumstances that different countries are at different levels of development and advancement, it is quite understandable that some states (especially the former colonial powers) with advanced civilisations may not like that nationals of under-developed countries should have free access to their resources lest they take-over control like in the past these very nations depleted the present day under-developed countries of their riches. Whatever may be the rationale, one cannot deny the fact that all independent countries are sovereign states by virtue of which, they are entitled to sketch the limits of an outsider's intervention within their territory in order to preserve their integrity and sanctity of their borders. Today, when terrorists are active around the globe, drugs and human trafficking have become common and contagious diseases are easily spread through food items, it has become very vital for nation states to protect their people from all kinds of harm in terms of health and security. This concern is clearly reflected in their caution in allowing only a select few in their countries.
For the purpose of obtaining visa, every country has laid down a set of rules which entail, filling in an application form, attaching necessary papers, one's original international passport, invitations where applicable, travel itinerary, hotel bookings etc along with a prescribed visa fee. These documents are thoroughly examined by the visa section of the concerned embassy, security clearance is taken from international agencies, the applicant interviewed where there is such a requirement and on establishing the genuineness of the prospective traveller, either permission to travel to that country is granted to him or in case of doubt, it is refused.
If given the option and subject to availability of resources, Pakistanis, just like any seasoned traveller would love to trot all over the globe to quench their thirst for exploring new lands but generally and especially in the Pakistani context, a few countries top the list of most desired destinations amongst which, are the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), India and the Middle East. If anyone happens to be in the Diplomatic Enclave of Islamabad on a working day, he would notice long queues of people waiting to submit their applications or appearing for interviews, outside the UK and Indian High Commissions and the US embassy.
These people, who may have been waiting hours for their turn, may have come from all over Pakistan. Some with infants or accompanied with aged relatives or even patients on wheelchairs or students hoping to join a university abroad. God knows how much expense they may have incurred on their journey to Islamabad, stay in the city and on the shuttle from a far-flung place to the embassy inside the enclave as private vehicles are not allowed without obtaining prior permission from the local police authorities. All these troubles are borne by the visa-seekers in the hope that they would be rewarded by that one stamp which would open the window to a new world of their dreams. Those who manage to get a visa, soon leave all their sufferings behind and stride forward with renewed energy but the disappointed ones feel the pain immensely.
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