Sri Lanka’s visa policy strains decades long trade ties with Pakistan: SLPBC

The Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council (SLPBC) fears that trade relationships between Sri Lanka and Pakistan could be at stake with the country’s new visa policy, which needs a clear procedural justification. 

As Sri Lanka opens its doors to 38 countries under a ‘one chop’ visa-free system, the island nation’s closest ally, Pakistan, has been chopped out of the list, creating a complex situation for the trade relationship between the two countries.

Currently, visitors from Pakistan, be it investors or tourists, have been compelled to follow the traditional procedure following Sri Lanka’s recent failed adoption of an online visa system after a Court ruling. Until then, travellers from Pakistan to Sri Lanka had a more friendly and convenient procedure to follow while obtaining a visit or business visa, but with the abolishment of the online system, authorities have failed to advise or explain on the proper process to follow or adopt.

“Sri Lanka receives at least 5,000 Pakistanis every three months, as investors and tourists. But, during the past three months, the trade relationship between the two countries has just been limited to correspondences. We, as the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council, are not in a position to promote Sri Lanka as a destination for tourists or draw new investors to the country,” a senior official of the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council, an active forum involved in promoting the trade relationship between the two countries for the past three decades, stated.

Historically, Pakistan has been Sri Lanka’s ally in many situations, as regional neighbours. Pakistan has aided the country during the three decade-long civil war, and even in the recent past when Sri Lanka faced a major shortage of fertilisers, which the Pakistan Government wilfully released from its own buffer stock to help their neighbour.

Pakistan has been generous towards Sri Lanka in many ways, offering thousands of scholarships to local students in many fields, including medical. The Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council has been collaborative with the Pakistan Embassy in creating many opportunities for investment, as well as exchange values, of both countries through trade fairs and exhibitions. 

This year alone, two delegations from Sri Lanka were part of the Health and Engineering Exhibition and Fair held in Lahore in February and the Food and Agri Fair held in Karachi earlier this August. Sri Lanka is planning to send two more delegations during the remainder of the year. 

In contrary, the past three months have been a challenging period for Pakistanis as well as Sri Lankans who visit each other on business related matters. Adding more woes, even Pakistan nationals employed in Sri Lanka are presently experiencing a perplexed state while extending their visas.

A considerable number of investors and tourists from Pakistan have shown interest in Sri Lanka as a potential economic hub and a tourist destination following a recent promotional campaign conducted by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Islamabad. But the whole exercise of promoting Sri Lanka’s potential as a commercial and tourist destination through the campaign that displayed the island’s culture, tradition, food, and scenic coastal destinations to an untapped market, has faced a major drawback with the new visa policy. 

“Sri Lanka has gone back to the traditional method of issuing visas for Pakistanis, and that process consumes a considerable amount of valuable time, which is really discouraging to the trade relationships between the two countries. The Government authorities are not providing a clear picture on what or how applicants should follow at this stage, after the abolishment of the online process. This may lead to serious diplomatic disputes between the two countries. Our interest is solely based on the trade and cultural relationships of Sri Lanka and Pakistan.”

Pakistan, considered a close friend of Sri Lanka for decades, entered its first Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Sri Lanka, who signed after its initial FTA agreement with India. However, the business community has been complaining about the FTA being ineffective. Experts say the FTA needs more refining in order to bolster trade relationships between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

“Ours is a purely business-focused and business-oriented venture. We find remedies and try to resolve issues, working closely and cordially with the Pakistan Embassy. It is clear that we must respect the country’s laws and the security and defence protocols, but there should be a system. Presently, as has been visible for the past three months, nothing is in place,” a former top administrator of the Sri Lanka-Pakistan Business Council added.

With the present visa debacle, Pakistanis have made more visits to Turkey as tourists, despite Sri Lanka having two direct flights from Colombo – five times a week to Karachi and thrice a week to Lahore. The situation created by the visa debacle recently prevented a delegation of over 100 Pakistanis from attending a wedding ceremony that took place in Colombo.

“We conduct business development programs, facilitate business promotions, send trade delegations to Pakistan, conduct exhibitions, and help resolve business or trade related issues between the two countries. We are only facilitators; our efforts are purely based on the development of the country through productive business relationships and promoting Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. We affirm again, not addressing this visa issue could severely damage the relationship between the two countries as observed,” the Colombo-based forum, under the aegis of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, cautioned. 

The Sri Lanka Cabinet approved a ‘one chop’ system for the 38 visa-free countries with immediate effect from 3 September, claiming to be an adoption of Singapore’s entry visa policy. The 38 countries endorsed through the new visa-free policy are Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Earlier, citizens of Pakistan did not need a visa to enter Sri Lanka if they are coming as tourists, as the Government offered visa-free access to Pakistan passport holders for only 30 days following a program launched in 2012. Instead of a visa, they needed an electronic travel authorisation, or an ETA, issued by the Sri Lankan authorities. A visa was only needed if they planned to stay longer. 

With the Sri Lankan Government’s adoption of a new online visa policy, which was later aborted following a Court ruling, Pakistanis wishing to obtain visit or business visas have been left in the dark without a proper policy.