I am appalled at the news report that T&T has removed the visa requirement for Pakistani citizens.
Pakistan is widely regarded as a state sponsor of terrorism in India, Afganistan and elsewhere. They also have been suppliers of illegal weaponry to terrorist groups everywhere–Iran, North Korea among other places.
With what has just been happening in Europe there is going to be serious scrutiny of all travellers.
Apparently, from March 2015, T&T is going to be allowed visa-free access to the European Schengen Area, a privilege we have been lobbying for, for years.
Let's not lose this opportunity.
Pakistanis could now easily come here, buy a T&T passport and get extraordinary access to the region, the UK and Europe.
We have been trying to get Canada to drop visa requirements for us...forget it.
Only six countries in the world allow visa-free travel for Pakistanis, four of which are in the Caribbean: Haiti, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines and now T&T.
Even Saudi Arabia, Iran and Zimbabwe require visas. Pakistanis need a visa to visit neighbouring India.
This development is going to put native Trinidadians under undeserved scrutiny. We do not deserve this.
We need to revisit this mistake.
Dr David Salinger,
Maraval