Visa scandal unlikely to harm Swiss-Pakistani relations
Switzerland may at first have dismissed claims of visa fraud at its Islamabad embassy but that's no longer the case, says Pakistan's ambassador to Bern.
Fauzia Abbas told swissinfo that both countries were working together to find out to what extent shady dealings were going on in the embassy’s visa section.
Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey is currently in Pakistan to celebrate 40 years of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation’s (SDC) presence.
The minister’s agenda includes visiting areas stricken by the October 2005 earthquake to view SDC-sponsored projects and meeting central and provincial government officials.
Earlier this week, Bern confirmed cases of visa fraud had taken place at its Islamabad embassy after Pakistan launched an investigation into embassy employees for allegedly issuing Swiss visas to locals immigrating illegally to Europe.
swissinfo: What is your response to the statement made by the Swiss foreign ministry that local mafia attempted to influence Swiss embassy’s visa department in Islamabad?
Fauzia Abbas: The matter is still under investigation. Both sides have an interest to see that the truth is dug out of all that is going on and to put an end to it.
We will have to wait and see what emerges from the investigations, while at the same time taking responsibility for the functioning of our respective offices.
swissinfo: How would you describe the cooperation between the two countries in getting to the heart of the matter?
F.A.: The cooperation is good. Initially there may have been some scepticism [on the Swiss side] against the allegations brought by the Pakistani citizens against the Swiss embassy official concerned. That initial scepticism has now been overcome and a credibility of the charges brought by these women has been established.
The first discussions [took place in] early March, when there was a sense of disbelief [on the Swiss part] that any such thing could be happening. So [my] intervention was to impress upon the foreign ministry that these charges were being taken seriously.
But there has been a great deal of understanding [from Bern] and I appreciate the mature reaction on the part of most of the higher officials in the foreign ministry.
swissinfo: Do the visa fraud allegations have the potential to damage Swiss-Pakistani relations in the long term?
F.A.: I don’t see the scandal as affecting bilateral relations. If criminal activity is going on, then we have to put an end to it, with all states cooperating. Two mature nations will deal with it as two mature nations should, with everyone pulling together and sharing whatever resources they have.
swissinfo: Putting the visa affair to one side, what are the relations between Pakistan and Switzerland like?
F.A.: When I first came to Bern, we were cruising in our relations but I am very happy to see that there has been a tremendous pick-up in our relations over the last three or four years.
Our relations are over 50 years old and are very consistent, very stable, and very important to Pakistan. Switzerland, for example, represented Pakistan’s interests in India in 1971 when the two countries were at war; it was on a Swiss aircraft that our embassy personnel were brought back to Islamabad.
The Swiss were among the very first to come after the earthquake in October – they didn’t ask us, they just arrived: it was their humanitarian instinct and that is something that one cherishes a great deal.
Swiss Solidarity raised money too and it was the Swiss public that gave that money. My children went out collecting money [in Bern] shortly after the earthquake. People were very generous – one lady gave a 20-franc note and then she called them back and gave them 100 francs instead.
swissinfo: What about trade links between the two countries?
F.A.: There is, I think, at the higher levels of Swiss government, a perception of Pakistan as an important market. At one stage, Pakistan was the biggest importer of Swiss textile machinery.
Trade can and could be increased, the balance of which is heavily in Switzerland’s favour. We would like to redress the balance to a certain extent.
There is a tremendous respect for the standards of Swiss products. Swiss watches have made such an impact, everybody wants one.
swissinfo-interview: Faryal Mirza
Reports of suspected visa fraud at the Swiss embassy in Islamabad emerged in February. The Pakistani authorities have opened investigations into allegations of human trafficking.
Switzerland has been active in development aid in Pakistan for 40 years. Last year’s aid budget was SFr25 million ($20.3 million).
Bilateral relations between Switzerland and Pakistan which was created in 1947, go back more than 50 years. Switzerland represented Pakistan’s interests in India during the 1971 conflict.
Pakistani exports to Switzerland in 2004 stood at SFr42 million, while Swiss imports to Pakistan were SFr298 million.
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