Pak, India may soon liberalise visa regime: Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Jun 6th, 2008 | By Sindh Today | Category: Focused, PakistanIslamabad, June 6 : Pakistan and India are considering liberalising their visa regime to ease travel by people from the two countries, Pakistan Foreign Affairs Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said.
Speaking in the National Assembly last evening, he said a draft visa agreement was under discussion in the composite dialogue process between the two countries.
“I will be visiting India soon and hope there will be a positive development in this regard,” the Daily Times quoted him as saying.
He added that efforts were also being made to exempt citizens of both countries from having to register with police during their visits to each other’s countries.
The minister also said that 518 Pakistani nationals were currently imprisoned in India, but Indian authorities have acknowledged the presence of only 147 Pakistani prisoners in its jails. Qureshi said the Indian government had assured the Pakistan Mission in New Delhi that it would shortly provide names of the remaining prisoners.
In this regard, the minister said that Islamabad and New Delhi had recently signed an agreement to give consular access to prisoners from the two countries.
Under the agreement, he added, the Indian authorities will have to inform the Pakistani authorities about who has been detained and what crime it is alleged they have committed. He further said that a judicial committee was due to visit prisoners in Pakistan next week, followed by the rapid to prisons in India to ensure the expeditious release of the prisoners who had completed their sentences. (ANI)
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India Pakistan visa is a wish list but FM Mr. Qureshi should not be under illusion that terrorist and fundamentalist will exploit the situation to cause more havoc supported by ISI. If LOC is not stable the infiltration will shift by public transport. The people to people contact is must but people in bus and trains are being threatened even at the musical gathering by Pakistani pop group, unless the smuggling of explosives and fake currency by bus and train stops the Indian government will go one step at a time. Pakistani politicians sound very immature and undiplomatic for the old regime infiltration and ill advice by the planted officials giving quick response to jump to the first denial to score the points rather than objectively looking into the matters. Diplomatic and advisers should be reappointed who have no connection with the past regime in order to create the good atmosphere else the other people will always try to create problems. Both countries are looking forward people to people contacts as many families are married across the border.