Many people were surprised when a Pakistani Entrepreneur, Waqas Hassan revealed that he travelled to India on an Indigo Flight without a visa, yet in a legal way. Technically Pakistani passport holders can visit India only after getting a visa from the Indian government. Still, the visa-obtaining process is quite tricky and more stringent due to historical tensions between the nations and security concerns.
What Hassan did was completely legal. He booked an IndiGo flight with a six-hour layover in Mumbai while travelling from Singapore to Saudi Arabia. He vlogged his travel experience and posted it on Instagram. In the viral video, he explained that people with Pakistani passports can fly to India as long as it is a connecting flight. They are not allowed to leave the airport during the layover, hence self-check-in flights are not allowed for Pakistanis.
In the video as he walks through the Mumbai Airport, he said, “This time I’m flying from Singapore to Saudi Arabia. And currently, I’m in Mumbai.”
He enjoyed his short stay at the airport. He spent some time at the airport lounge and enjoyed eating Vada Pav. He said, “It’s pretty fun and legal.”
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Hassan also explained his decision to take an Indian airline with a Mumbai layover. He claimed that trips from east to west, such as his own from Singapore to Saudi Arabia, are typically reasonably priced on Indian airlines.
He admitted that not many people are aware that this is lawful, and he was cautious about taking any chances when purchasing his ticket.
He can be heard saying in the video, “I have been travelling for 15 years. Nobody told me that we [Pakistanis] can transit through India. So when I booked this ticket, there was a slight bit of risk involved as well.”
Hassan stated that the officials at the Mumbai airport were surprised when they saw his Pakistani passport. He said, “When I gave them my passport at the airport, they also looked at me in surprise. They said not many Pakistani people do this, so it was a new experience for them as well.”
A user commented on his video, “Pakistani awaam should be allowed to visit India and vice versa. I love you guys and no one is good or bad we all are shades of grey. I respect your culture and country and I will request our government to make easy access for citizens of both the countries to visit each other.”
Another one wrote, “What’s the happiness in staying at a airport of a country which would never allow you to step out.”