Liberalised Regime: Cabinet gives nod to visa pact with India
The accord allows for issuance of visas to elderly and children on arrival and facilitates visas for group tourists.
ISLAMABAD:
The cabinet on Wednesday approved a widely hailed agreement on a liberalised visa regime with India aimed at promoting bilateral trade between the arch rivals.
Pakistan and India had earlier agreed to easing travel restrictions to promote people-to-people contacts and enhance trade and business activities between the neighbours. The cabinet’s ratification comes nearly two months after the agreement’s initial signing on Sept 8, during then Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna’s visit to Pakistan.
According to the new visa regime, concessions have been given to members of the business community, allowing multiple entry one-year visas with exemption from police reporting and increasing the number of cities that can be visited. The accord also allows for issuance of visas to the elderly and children on arrival and facilitates visas for group tourists.
The development is part of a historic agreement to ease travel restrictions between the two countries that have been in place since 1974, when the outgoing visa regime came into force.
Election will be fair: PM
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf renewed the government’s pledge to hold free, fair and transparent elections, while addressing the cabinet meeting in Islamabad.
“Holding free‚ fair and transparent elections is our top priority and our coalition partners are moving responsibly in this regard,” the premier said, adding that the Supreme Court verdict in the Asghar Khan case had raised important questions for the state about the legitimacy of past elections.
Ashraf, however, assured the nation that the forthcoming elections would be transparent and endeavors to carry out illegal activities during elections would be thwarted in the future. The premier said that election activity was prevailing in the country and the elections would be a milestone for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government along with what it has achieved during its five years in office
Interim setup
Addressing the media after the cabinet meeting, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said the interim setup would take over around March 18, 2013, after the incumbent government completes its five-year term. He added that general elections would be held no later than 40 days after the interim setup had taken over, or by May 10, 2013.
Rubbishing rumours about delays in the upcoming polls, Kaira said a free media and an independent judiciary would never allow elections to be delayed for political reasons.
The government and the parliament duly get the credit for completion of terms of the assemblies, he added.
“By delaying the elections, all credit will become a discredit,” said Kaira.
1990 govt illegitimate
The information minister went on to add that the Supreme Court verdict in Asghar Khan case had proved that the government installed after the 1990 elections was illegitimate and its decisions need validation.
“There is a serious debate over the legitimacy of the then government and the issue should be resolved,” he said, adding that there was a need to hold people such as Hameed Gul accountable.
Lauding the government’s performance in past five years, Kaira said that despite challenges the rate of inflation had been brought down to 8% from an all-time high of 25%. He added that the government was making concrete efforts to bring improvement in the power generation sector to enhance economic activities.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2012.
The cabinet on Wednesday approved a widely hailed agreement on a liberalised visa regime with India aimed at promoting bilateral trade between the arch rivals.
Pakistan and India had earlier agreed to easing travel restrictions to promote people-to-people contacts and enhance trade and business activities between the neighbours. The cabinet’s ratification comes nearly two months after the agreement’s initial signing on Sept 8, during then Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna’s visit to Pakistan.
According to the new visa regime, concessions have been given to members of the business community, allowing multiple entry one-year visas with exemption from police reporting and increasing the number of cities that can be visited. The accord also allows for issuance of visas to the elderly and children on arrival and facilitates visas for group tourists.
The development is part of a historic agreement to ease travel restrictions between the two countries that have been in place since 1974, when the outgoing visa regime came into force.
Election will be fair: PM
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf renewed the government’s pledge to hold free, fair and transparent elections, while addressing the cabinet meeting in Islamabad.
“Holding free‚ fair and transparent elections is our top priority and our coalition partners are moving responsibly in this regard,” the premier said, adding that the Supreme Court verdict in the Asghar Khan case had raised important questions for the state about the legitimacy of past elections.
Ashraf, however, assured the nation that the forthcoming elections would be transparent and endeavors to carry out illegal activities during elections would be thwarted in the future. The premier said that election activity was prevailing in the country and the elections would be a milestone for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government along with what it has achieved during its five years in office
Interim setup
Addressing the media after the cabinet meeting, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira said the interim setup would take over around March 18, 2013, after the incumbent government completes its five-year term. He added that general elections would be held no later than 40 days after the interim setup had taken over, or by May 10, 2013.
Rubbishing rumours about delays in the upcoming polls, Kaira said a free media and an independent judiciary would never allow elections to be delayed for political reasons.
The government and the parliament duly get the credit for completion of terms of the assemblies, he added.
“By delaying the elections, all credit will become a discredit,” said Kaira.
1990 govt illegitimate
The information minister went on to add that the Supreme Court verdict in Asghar Khan case had proved that the government installed after the 1990 elections was illegitimate and its decisions need validation.
“There is a serious debate over the legitimacy of the then government and the issue should be resolved,” he said, adding that there was a need to hold people such as Hameed Gul accountable.
Lauding the government’s performance in past five years, Kaira said that despite challenges the rate of inflation had been brought down to 8% from an all-time high of 25%. He added that the government was making concrete efforts to bring improvement in the power generation sector to enhance economic activities.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 1st, 2012.