Under the new regime, visitors will be granted a seven-day open visa with no restrictions on visiting any city.
LAHORE: Pakistan and India are likely to sign an agreement next month to liberalise visa policies for those travelling between the countries. Under the new regime, visitors will be granted a seven-day open visa with no restrictions on visiting any city.
According to well-placed sources in the Pakistan foreign office, the two sides have agreed in principle to add a new category of tourist visa to promote group tourism between the countries. The sources said Pakistan has made substantial changes in its existing visa policy to make it friendly for tourism, trade, business, and investments.
The sources said the principal understanding on liberalising visa policies was reached during the foreign secretary-level talks in New Delhi last month. A formal agreement will be signed next month when the foreign ministers of the two countries meet in Islamabad from January 13 to review the third round of the composite dialogue.
Foreign office spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam said that according to the proposed agreement tourists would also be offered a 15-day visa if they visit in groups.
Aslam said the two countries have agreed to increase the number of visa counters from two to three, and will issue close to 1,000 visas daily to entrepreneurs and tourists. As things stand, she said, not more than a few dozen visas are issued on a weekly basis by the two sides.
Aslam, however, denied a report suggesting that India plans to open a visa counter in Lahore, and Pakistan in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.
As for Pakistan’s consulate in Mumbai, Aslam said Pakistani officials had not yet found a suitable place in the city. Without Pakistan opening a consulate, India cannot open its mission in Karachi.
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