Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s cabinet has endorsed a move to ease travel between India and Pakistan for certain categories. The decision clears the way for a formal agreement between Islamabad and New Delhi. The agreement could be signed if Pakistan’s cabinet also approves the move.
Citing unnamed sources, the Press Trust of India said that common people from either country would be able to visit three earmarked cities from now onwards.
Businessmen with multiple entry, non-police reporting visas can visit five cities instead of three, it said. However, the provision will apply only to business persons whose credentials are certified by the chambers on the both sides.
From India, it will be FICCI and from Pakistani side it will be the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
In addition, elderly people would be exempt from police reporting, as per the proposed agreement, PTI cited its sources as saying. The decision comes ahead of a meeting of home secretaries of the two countries, scheduled to take place in Islamabad in the last week of May.
New Delhi has also shown its willingness to supply locomotives to Pakistan to meet the shortage of engines. A team of Pakistan Railway officials is in New Delhi for discussing the modalities for cooperation in the sector, Railway Board Chairman Vinay Mittal said.
The three-member team of the Pakistan Railways Advisory and Consultancy Services Limited held preliminary discussions with the officials of Railway Infrastructure, Technical and Economic Services.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2012.
COMMENTS (42)
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Pakistanis are welcome to visit India. I am sure more than 90 % of visitors wil come to visit friends family and tourists.
I have met a few Pakistani people and do not feel that they are any different from people in India
@Mirza: It doesn't matter to me where they are if both governments are ignoring them .. neither my comments were meant to belittle any country but I found comments of EkJoker & John not less than sickening e.g
@Khan: @How?: The biggest slum of south Asia are the areas which are not safe for common citizens. It is an open secret where they are! The best area of a city would be worst slum if it is controlled by rival gangs equipped with latest lethal weapons. Regards, Mirza
@Mirza, when you do visit India, don't forget to visit us...You are most welcome, bro...It is great to read your comments here. Thanks bro and keep the flag of positive spirit flying.
@let there be peace: Security takes priority over impression!
And it is not very far in the future when people across the Radcliffe Line will say, "Paki-Hindi Bhai Bhai".
roll out the red carpet for thugs...
Kasab ans Hafiz Saeeds are not welcome.
@Khan: Check your facts. The biggest slum of the world is in Karachiie Orangi town.
@Abdul Rahman Khan: Good suggestion and difficult to disagree on humanitarian grounds. The only problem is that then Musharraf and AQ Khan might come to India without visa ! May be for such senior citizens they should issue some special lifetime multiple re re-entry visa after little background check.
@Tahmina: Even if they were all Hindus, so what? I'd rather deal with more humane Hindus, Sikhs, Christians or Jews and everybody with Beliefs other than mine than the death squads of Lashkars-X or Lashkars-Y who wish to know correctness of my Belief----and I'm a Muslim!
It's good but we don't live in ideal world. it just takes one incident to spoil everything. So let's are how long it lasts. Also if they have to visit Indian police station daily, I don't think anyone will leave with good impression about India.
Pakistanis and indians born in British India before partition should be exempt from visa. As the time goes by, the number of such category of nationals of the two countries will dwindle. It is high time the two governments should ponder on this proposal as well.
Here we go, more crackers in India this year.
@mr. righty rightist:
Indian are not Hinus only, this kind of bigotry is not good for any country, people were killed across both borders during the partition time. Time to move on. By the way loads of Sikhs come every year to visit their holy places from India, they are Indians too and are not hindus. Do you live in India?
It will help Pakistanis to see Veena Malik, ythe Cultural queen of Pakistan.
@Lone Star...oh yeah but u deliberately missed the names of Bal Thakre, Narendra Modi...
@Ek Joker: @John: You two sure are Indian version of Zaid Zaman Hamid. Both of you are delusional enough to compare a country with largest slum population in the world with developed countries .. I hope you are humane enough to be asking the same treatment for Indian travelers to Europe & US and other developed countries.
An excellent step towards the right direction. Pakistan will be shooting itself in the foot by not opening up trade and relations with India in today's economy. We can't afford to isolate ourselves any more.
@PakMan: Cricket should resume too and soon but lets not give negative comments over a positive development. At least its a good beginning. Everything can't happen at once. They are making it easy for the common people for now, official matters (including resumption of cricketing ties) come later.
It’s nice to see that better sense is prevailing on both sides, I hope and pray that some lunatic does not spoil the thaw in the relationship between Pakistan and India.
I heartily welcome to every genuine and peace loving Pakistanis to India. But first of all I want to see again the famous Pakistani comedians in Laughter Challenge.
Common people are allowed to visit but not cricketers. Typical Indian Bigotry.
This visa liberalization will predominantly help Pakistanis only. It's of little importance to Indians.
Pakistani muslims can come and visit their relatives in India.
But Indian Hindus cannot visit their relatives in Pakistan. Because their relatives have either been killed or chased out of the country.
@curious: @Aftab: Currently also the system only allows you to travel to a 3 cities, where you also need to report in the local police station on a daily basis. I don't know what the change is - naturally the Govt is not going to tell a tourist which cities he/ she can visit. As regards the Pak businesspeople's visa - I am sure that bilateral ties are strong between FICCI and FPCCI - there will be a quid pro quo in place here. The five city permit, multiple-entry visa and withdrawal of police station reporting is a big step - nice to see that decisions are being made in good time.
@Aftab: 3 cities do not refer to any specific cities, just any 3 cities in all india....
hope i'll find a chance to visit india............
@Aftab: those three cities will be the visitors wish. its not like only these 3 cities can be visited by the foreigner but a list of 3 cities the visitor wants to visit has to be given well in advance to the govt of destined nation
All Pakistani visitors should be tagged with a radio collar. This will help ensure that they do not violate the visa.
I am ready to gettting Marry in India this year, hope this visa prob will soon be resolved.
Great, I would love to visit India with family on first prefrence to meet my kithes across
But Pakistani Travelers have to assure Indian people that before expiry of their visa period they will go back to their country as India is already over populated.
I meant to extend welcome to tourists and businessmen from Pakistan - there was a typo in my earlier post
Great news. Hope this age bracket is removed sooner then later and we travel in SAARC like the nations of European Union without any Visa.
Welcome to India. Genuine tourists and businessmen from India, I hope you will find that Indian hospitality awaits you. I just hope the facility is not abused by the likes of David Headley.
That is still a very hard visa agreement as a Pakistani businessman would have to be highly well connected in both Pakistan AND India to get that.
Good move. Would help in easing the tension and slowly build confidence amongst the general public.
Another blow to Hafiz Saeed, Hamid Gul and Zaid Hamied. Keep it up India and Pakistan. Finally we have decided to bury the hatchets. I hope fanatics of either side won't be secceded this time.
So what are the three cities?? The headline says 3 cities, but the article doesn't mention them. Thats sloppy copy editing.
Looks like time to visit India again! Thanks for making it easy for the common people from both sides of the border. There is a dire need for the two people to come in direct contact and see for themselves what the establishment has been saying is not right. Let us hope we could benefit from each other and live as friendly neighbors.