PM Khan launches online visa regime; says PSL 2020 to be held entirely in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan, while inaugurating Pakistan’s online visa regime for foreign nationals, announced that all the matches of PSL 5 in 2020 will be held in Pakistan, ARY News reported on Thursday. 

At the launch of the online visa regime to promote tourism and investments into the country, PM Khan said that owing to rapidly improving security situation, all Pakistan Super League matches will be held in Pakistan from the upcoming year.

“I have been a cricketer and I know how boring it can be to play in empty stadiums; this will change when PSL is held here from next year”, he said.

The prime minister hailed country’s armed forces, security institutions and intelligence agencies for restoring peace in Pakistan.

He said that a mindset had existed [within certain quarters] to make difficult the acquisition of Pakistani visa.

“We need to change that mindset so that investors could come to Pakistan and make an investment here,” he added.

The issuance of online visas for foreigners was the first step towards ‘Naya Pakistan’, he said.

Read: NADRA develops system for e-visa facility to 175 countries

He stated that issuing of online visa was a significant step towards bringing real change as it would open the country to the outside world. Prime Minister Khan said it also would show that Pakistan is a peaceful and stable country and open to the world for business and tourism.

He remarked that an atmosphere of self-reliance was very much alive in Pakistan during the 1960s as “our industrial productions was higher than many countries.”

He recalled that the situation changed drastically after the 60s when the same countries superseded Pakistan in industrial productions.

He said people coming to Pakistan from the United Kingdom loved the country’s tourist destinations. “We have awe-inspiring tourist destinations like Dir, Hunza and Gilgit [Baltistan] which are more [beautiful] than Switzerland]”, he said.

The prime minister said that religious tourism was equally important for a country and a task force on tourism would also explore new tourist destinations in the country.

“Turkey earns $40bn from tourism and Malaysia earns $22bn; the world is, however, still not aware of skiing opportunities that Pakistan offers”, he said.

He said Pakistan might face some problems until elections were held in India. “Whenever elections are held on the basis of hatred, problems spring up in its wake,” he added.

“We expect betterment in ties with India after general elections there,” he added.