Pak, India agree to provide multiple entry business visas
This will allow businessmen to visit up to 10 cities without restrictions.
NEW DELHI:
Accepting the long-standing demand of businesspersons, the Home Ministry of India and Interior Ministry of Pakistan have agreed to give one-year multiple entry visas to prominent businesspersons of the two countries.
This was announced in Delhi on Friday by Joint Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India Arvind Mehta and Pakistan High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik, according to details provided by the Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Addressing a meeting organised by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the Pakistan business delegation, Mehta said, “The one-year multiple-entry visa will allow business persons to visit up to 10 cities with no requirement of a police report and no restriction on places of entry and exit.”
He also added that a note to this effect would be ready in a week for the consideration of the Union Cabinet.
He further sought to assure the Pakistan delegation that the perception of some businesspersons that open trade would swamp Pakistan with Indian goods was misplaced. “Do not be fearful of the future because things are changing,” he said.
The South Asian Free Trade Agreement (Safta) has several safeguards to give comfort to domestic industry as these safeguards would allow imports to be stopped should there be any disruption of the domestic industry, he added.
Mehta also sought to allay the apprehension that India had imposed non-tariff barriers (NTB) on imports from Pakistan. Citing the case of cement imports, he said, there is zero customs duty on cement import, a policy signal that India welcomes cement from Pakistan.
Pakistan High Commissioner Malik, however, remarked that there is genuine apprehension amongst Pakistani business persons about the existence of NTBs. “These barriers do exist and there is no point in brushing this aside,” he said and expressed confidence that the commerce secretaries of the two countries would take steps to dismantle these barriers.
Business community welcomes the move
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mian Abrar Ahmed said the one-year multiple visas had been their foremost demand from the Indian government. “We consider visa restrictions on top of non-trade barriers from India and this is why we asked the Indian High Commission to remove this biggest impediment,” he said.
“Now since businesspersons can move to 10 Indian cities without reporting to the police, I think it will boost trade and commerce between the two countries, he added. Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Irfan Qaisar Sheikh said the one-year multiple visas will certainly increase the pace of businesses between India and Pakistan.
“Today, it takes more than a month to get an Indian visa which significantly discourages businessmen from going to Delhi and meeting people there,” he said, “Now, since we will get visas swiftly, I hope that day-long business meetings can be planned and businessmen can return to Lahore the same day.”
Sheikh also hoped for a sharp increase in trading activities from Punjab cities near the Indian border like Sialkot, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Faisalabad to India and alternatively from Indian cities like Amritsar, Delhi and Chandigar into Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2011.
Accepting the long-standing demand of businesspersons, the Home Ministry of India and Interior Ministry of Pakistan have agreed to give one-year multiple entry visas to prominent businesspersons of the two countries.
This was announced in Delhi on Friday by Joint Secretary Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India Arvind Mehta and Pakistan High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik, according to details provided by the Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Addressing a meeting organised by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) with the Pakistan business delegation, Mehta said, “The one-year multiple-entry visa will allow business persons to visit up to 10 cities with no requirement of a police report and no restriction on places of entry and exit.”
He also added that a note to this effect would be ready in a week for the consideration of the Union Cabinet.
He further sought to assure the Pakistan delegation that the perception of some businesspersons that open trade would swamp Pakistan with Indian goods was misplaced. “Do not be fearful of the future because things are changing,” he said.
The South Asian Free Trade Agreement (Safta) has several safeguards to give comfort to domestic industry as these safeguards would allow imports to be stopped should there be any disruption of the domestic industry, he added.
Mehta also sought to allay the apprehension that India had imposed non-tariff barriers (NTB) on imports from Pakistan. Citing the case of cement imports, he said, there is zero customs duty on cement import, a policy signal that India welcomes cement from Pakistan.
Pakistan High Commissioner Malik, however, remarked that there is genuine apprehension amongst Pakistani business persons about the existence of NTBs. “These barriers do exist and there is no point in brushing this aside,” he said and expressed confidence that the commerce secretaries of the two countries would take steps to dismantle these barriers.
Business community welcomes the move
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mian Abrar Ahmed said the one-year multiple visas had been their foremost demand from the Indian government. “We consider visa restrictions on top of non-trade barriers from India and this is why we asked the Indian High Commission to remove this biggest impediment,” he said.
“Now since businesspersons can move to 10 Indian cities without reporting to the police, I think it will boost trade and commerce between the two countries, he added. Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President Irfan Qaisar Sheikh said the one-year multiple visas will certainly increase the pace of businesses between India and Pakistan.
“Today, it takes more than a month to get an Indian visa which significantly discourages businessmen from going to Delhi and meeting people there,” he said, “Now, since we will get visas swiftly, I hope that day-long business meetings can be planned and businessmen can return to Lahore the same day.”
Sheikh also hoped for a sharp increase in trading activities from Punjab cities near the Indian border like Sialkot, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Faisalabad to India and alternatively from Indian cities like Amritsar, Delhi and Chandigar into Pakistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 26th, 2011.