Pakistan minister denies claims about ‘disappearance’ of 50,000 citizens in Iraq

Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Chaudhry Salik has refuted the claims of ‘disappearance’ of 50,000 Pakistanis in Iraq, ARY News reported.

The claim was made by media about the ‘disappearance’ of Pakistani citizens in Iraq.

The minister confirmed that there was a misunderstanding about his comments, refuting media claims that 50,000 had gone missing, it added.

“False and fake news was shared about missing 50,000 Pakistani nationals in Iraq”.

Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Iraqi Ambassador Hamid Abbas Lafta announced a slew of measures aimed at easing travel restrictions and enhancing convenience to facilitate Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq for Arbaeen.

The landmark decisions were reached during a high-level meeting on Wednesday between the two sides who promised to make the journey smoother and more accessible for thousands of devotees.

Both sides agreed that Pakistani pilgrims traveling to Iraq for Arbaeen would no longer need to surrender their passports upon arrival.

The meeting decided that the Pakistani pilgrims would be issued visas by the Iraqi Embassy, bypassing travel agents and the quota for Pakistan pilgrims would be increased.