The Ministry of External Affairs partially addressed reports that it had tightened its rules on issuing a medical visas to Pakistani nationals, PTI reported on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay said that medical visa applications of Pakistanis showing a letter of recommendation from the country’s Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz would be “cleared immediately”. He did not, however, say anything about visa requests that are not backed by such a document.

“We have suggested that their Foreign Minister or Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz give a recommendation letter and it [visa application] will be cleared immediately, without any delay,” Baglay said. He added that such a supporting document would help the government screen requests as External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj gets countless appeals for medical visas, both in writing and on social media.

Baglay also said that India had not stopped, and was not planning to stop, issuing medical visas to Pakistani nationals. Ties between the two countries have been hit hard by claims and counter-claims of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, Pakistan’s decision to execute Indian citizen Kulbhushan Jadhav and India’s claim that the Pakistani Army mutilated the body of two Indian soldiers.