NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan will operationalise new 'liberalized' visa agreement between the two countries during the visit of Pakistani interior minister Rehman Malik to New Delhi on December 11-13.
Both the sides had signed it in Islamabad in September, seeking to facilitate more people-to-people contact and trade. Indian home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Tuesday formally invited his Pakistani counterpart for the visit. Islamabad is learnt to have confirmed the three-day visit of Malik who would also like to visit Agra to see Taj Mahal on December 12 which happens to be his birthday. "I have sent the invite (to Malik) through diplomatic channel.
During the visit, the new Indo-Pak visa agreement will be operationalised," Shinde said. He said Malik's birthday falls on December 12 and he had expressed his desire to spend the day at the Taj Mahal and the government would facilitate his visit to the historic city.
Asked whether Malik's wife would also accompany him to Taj Mahal, Shinde said, "We will welcome his visit with family". Operationalisation of the new visa regime almost 10 days before the commencement of the forthcoming India-Pakistan cricket series - beginning December 25 - may turn out to a boon for Pakistani fans as liberalized norms will make it possible for some of them to visit all the five match venues. Under the new visa regime, one can visit five places instead of the three at present. Since the cricket matches will be played in five cities, it may give an opportunity to selected ones on case-to-case basis to avail the benefit of visiting all the five places.
India has already taken decision to issue 3,000 visas, including 1,000 for New Delhi match and 500 each for watching matches in Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Ahmedabad, to Pakistani spectators. Pakistan had initially wanted Malik to visit India on November 11-12.
But, New Delhi turned down the dates suggested by Islamabad due to Diwali on November 13. Both the countries had then discussed about the feasibility of the visit on November 22, but again it could not be confirmed at India's end. Indian officials, later, said that as the government was planning to hang 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab on November 21, the visit was put on hold. Referring to the new visa agreement, sources in the home ministry said that the modalities were, meanwhile, being worked out to bring it into effect simultaneously in both the countries in such a way that it can be formalized jointly by Shinde and Malik. One of the options is to issue 'group' visa to citizens of both countries at the same time and have the first batch of visitors from India and Pakistan welcomed by Shinde and Malik jointly in a function at Wagah border post.
The new visa agreement - introducing for the first time group tourist and pilgrim visas and separate visas for businessmen - was signed in September during the visit of the then Indian foreign minister SM Krishna to Islamabad.
India and Pakistan to operationalise new visa agreement during Rehman Malik's Delhi visit
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India and Pakistan to operationalise new visa agreement during Rehman Malik's Delhi visit
