On occasion of Independence Day, we will grant medical visa in all bonafide cases from Pakistan: Sushma Swaraj

Patriotic fervour gripped the nation on the 71st Independence Day on Tuesday as people from across states and Union territories came together to celebrate the occasion.

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Delhi: In a special gesture, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday that India will grant medical visa in all bonafide cases pending with the ministry on the occasion of Independence day.

She tweeted: "On the auspicious occasion of India's Independence day, we will grant medical visa in all bonafide cases pending with us."

The EAM tagged the High Commission of India, Islamabad, in her post. 

On the auspicious occasion of India's Independence day, we will grant medical visa in all bonafide cases pending with us. @IndiainPakistan — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 15, 2017

On Sunday, Swaraj had assured a Pakistani woman who is suffering from cancer of granting a visa for her treatment in India.

Swaraj had conveyed the decision of granting the medical visa to Pakistani woman Faiza Tanveer on twitter.

"Thanks for your greetings on India's Independence day. We are giving you the visa for your treatment in India," she had tweeted.

Earlier, Tanveer had requested Swaraj to grant her a medical visa and had said she should not be denied it as India is about to celebrate the auspicious occasion of its 70th Independence Day. 

Thanks for your greetings on India's Independence day. We are giving you the visa for your treatment in India. https://t.co/jThT2KayoZ — Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 13, 2017

@SushmaSwaraj thanku for visa mam ap ka boht boht abhar or azadi boht boht subkamnain jai hind pic.twitter.com/UcQyYVLdrZ — Faiza Tanveer (@FaizaTanveer8) August 15, 2017

Meanwhile, patriotic fervour gripped the nation on the 71st Independence Day today as people from across states and Union territories came together to celebrate the occasion.

As chief ministers hoisted the tricolour amid tight security in the country, they announced development programmes, flagged challenges confronting them and pledged to take their states forward.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached out to strife-hit Kashmiris, saying abuses and bullets will not resolve their problems but embracing them will, as he praised his government's economic reforms in a wide-ranging Independence Day speech.

In a 56-minute speech, the shortest of the four times he has addressed the nation, he also rebuked those who resort to violence in the name of religion, adding that casteism and communalism are like poison.

But most of his speech was devoted to the economy as he pointed out the various reforms carried out by his government, including demonetisation, the implementation of GST and the crackdown on black money.

(With PTI inputs)