Jodhpur: The dream of a Hindu doctor from Pakistan to pursue the NEET PG in an Indian medical college has been stuck in the meandering process of the long-term visa.
The process of granting long-term visas has been moving at a snail's pace, making the hurdles cumbersome for Dr Shankar Kumar Goyal who attended the counselling for admission to PG in Jaipur's Mahatma Gandhi Medical College but failed to secure it as he was asked to furnish his visas, failing which he will no more be considered for admission. Apart from the visa, a security clearance from the Home Ministry and an NOC from the Pakistan Medical Council have been sought from him.
Goyal said he applied for the visa immediately after coming to India but the same is yet to be granted and he is filing a petition in the Rajasthan High Court on the matter.
"It should not take so much time to get a long-term visa after coming from Pakistan. This affects their future. We will raise this matter with the central government," Swati Goyal Sharma, director of Seva Nyay Utthan, an NGO working for the displaced, said.
A resident of Pakistan's Bahawalpur, Goyal is the first Hindu student to secure admission to a medical college in the Rahim Yar Khan province. After completing the internship, Goyal moved to India with family in January 2023. The visa quagmire has put his sibling's study in jeopardy and Goyal is managing the expenditures through online consultations.
"I appeared for the NEET PG entrance exam and in third counselling, secured a seat in Pharmacology at Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Jaipur. My admission was cancelled due to the non-issuance of a long-term visa. I request the government to expedite the process and relax the rules for those coming from Pakistan in search of a new life," Goyal said.
"Pakistan refugees initially get only 15 to 25 days visa. After this, one has to apply for a long-term visa, the process of which is very slow. If the Home Ministry speeds up the process, people's lives can become easier. After getting the visa, Aadhaar cards can be applied for which provide facilities like driving licenses, school admission, treatment in government hospitals and opening a bank account. Without it, these people struggle for employment and are forced to do businesses in the name of their relatives" he added.
Goyal applied for the visa in May 2023, soon after coming to India. No objection was issued against his application from Jodhpur and was forwarded to Delhi which is pending with the Home Ministry.
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