Businessmen welcome ease in Indian visa rules

Will get multiple-entry visas for three years compared to one year previously

KARACHI:

Leading chambers of Pakistan on Wednesday hailed the Indian government’s decision of easing visa rules for Pakistani entrepreneurs.

The Ministry of Home Affairs, India has decided to increase the validity period of multiple-entry visas for Pakistani businesspersons from one year to three years, according to the India Today.



“This is a very positive step and will certainly provide support to the entrepreneurs,” Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Younus Muhammad Bashir told The Express Tribune.

Replying to a question, he, however, said conditions for having a certain turnover and annual income for Pakistani entrepreneurs may cause some problems for small companies.

There is a list of problems that are hindering trade relations between India and Pakistan. Visa is just one of the many issues, said Bashir, adding issues like lack of shipping facilities and absence of roaming facilities between the two countries are some of the other big trade barriers that have to be removed.

The ease in visa rules is part of the visa scheme for member-states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc), which is expected to be implemented by April 1, 2016.



Although businesspersons from the Saarc members that still need visa to visit India will be granted three-year multiple-entry visas, Pakistani entrepreneurs have to meet certain requirements.

To get the Indian business card, a Pakistani entrepreneur should run a company worth 10 million Indian rupees and should have an annual income of at least 1 million Pakistani rupees. Additionally, he or she should be a member of a chamber of commerce in Pakistan that is recognised by India.

Other than the Karachi Chamber, the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is one of the leading chambers in Pakistan that has been trying to promote bilateral trade between the two neighbours.

“This is an extraordinary move, but it is the first step to help boost bilateral trade,” former LCCI president Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said.

This is the first important step in the right direction as it will reduce trust barriers between governments of the two countries. The world has changed and today buyers and sellers make decisions in minutes. Nobody waits for months to get a visa and sign a business deal, he added.

Sheikh said following continuous efforts by him, the then Indian government in fiscal year 2011-12 started issuing one-year multiple-entry visas to Pakistani entrepreneurs.

Relief for Pakistanis

Despite Pakistan-specific restrictions, there are some relaxations for Pakistanis too. Pakistani businesspeople will be restricted to 15 cities for a period of three years.



Currently, they are eligible to the multiple-entry business visa for a maximum of one year and can only travel to 10 cities. Under the new scheme, the entrepreneurs will be exempted from reporting at the local police station, a must for Pakistanis coming to India on any other visa.

Initially, there were just three cities that Pakistani entrepreneurs could visit. India increased the limit to five and then to 10 cities, he said, adding it is heartening to see this limit is now going to be increased to 15 cities.

India has been deliberating upon the business card for quite some time since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans to relax visa rules for the Saarc member-countries at a summit in Kathmandu in November 2014.

The Modi administration intends to increase regional trade among Saarc members but political tensions with Pakistan have overshadowed the plans.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th,  2016.

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