The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan explained the influx of Pakistanis into Bishkek.
According to the Foreign Ministry, since mid-July 2021, there has been a tendency to an increase in the number of applications for obtaining Kyrgyz visas from Pakistani citizens. The bulk of applications are received on Electronic Visa portal.
«The citizens of Pakistan declare tourism as the purpose of the trip and, accordingly, receive tourist single-entry visas for up to 30 days,» the Foreign Ministry said.
In July-August, according to the information of the ministry, about 7,500 tourist visas were issued to the citizens of Pakistan through the Electronic Visa system. No offenses by Pakistanis have been reportedly registered on the territory of the country for the period.
Earlier, the Border Service reported that 850,060 people arrived in the Kyrgyz Republic, 829,811 left it from June 1 to August 18 (inclusive).
«At least 224 citizens of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan arrived for two months, 144 left the republic. Some 286 citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran arrived in the Kyrgyz Republic, 239 left. During this time, 7,447 people arrived from Pakistan, 4,013 left,» the ministry reported.
To get clarifications on the information sent out on social media about Pakistani citizens, who arrive in Kyrgyzstan with the aim of further departure to third countries, the Deputy Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Kyrgyz Republic, Consul Tariq Ali, was invited to the Foreign Affairs Ministry on August 23.
He confirmed that most of the arriving Pakistani citizens later fly to work in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This is due to the fact that there is no direct air communication between Pakistan and these countries to date. Apart from Kyrgyzstan, a similar route has been built through Uzbekistan.
The situation in Afghanistan escalated after the announcement of the withdrawal of American troops in the spring of 2021. The radical Taliban movement launched an offensive against the positions of the Afghan army and established control over the entire territory of the republic on August 15. President Ashraf Ghani left the country.
