Liberalised visa regime

The next step should be to initiate further reforms in the visa process so that everyone benefits from relaxed rules.

Pakistan has taken yet another step in the long and winding road to peace with India after the federal cabinet ratified the liberalised visa regime signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries in September. The relaxed visa regime will allow businesspeople to apply for multiple entry one-year visas that would increase the number of cities they can travel to and also exempt them from reporting to the police. Coupled with trade agreements, including permission to a couple of banks from Pakistan and India to operate in each other’s country, the new visa regime should spur greater economic ties and a significant increase in cross-border trade. For proponents of peace, this is indeed a significant step forward.

The most heartening aspect of the improvement in Pakistan-India relations is how widespread the sentiment is. Although it is the PPP government that has taken the initiative and tried to wipe out decades of mistrust and hatred, all the other major political parties are also on board with the process. PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif has gone so far as to say that travel between the two countries should be visa-free. Imran Khan of the PTI has been similarly positive about the burgeoning relationship with India. Also, given the military’s role in shaping foreign policy, especially vis-a-vis India, it is safe to say that the progress in bilateral relations could not have materialised without its consent. Right now, we are taking baby steps but so long as all political actors are on the same page, the chances of lasting peace increase significantly.

The next step should be to initiate further reforms in the visa process so that everyone can benefit from the relaxed rules. People-to-people contact is essential to wiping out hatred and an increase in sporting and artistic ties will make it harder for hawks to win. The Pakistan cricket team’s visit to India next month will be crucial in solidifying the gains of peace. As always, the peace process will eventually run up against the intractable issues of Kashmir and terrorism, but those problems can only be worked out if we continue to lay the groundwork for it.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2012.