New Delhi, March 3
The Pakistan High
Commission will start issuing visas from tomorrow for cricket lovers who want to
travel to Pakistan for watching the upcoming one-day internationals, Deputy High
Commissioner Munnawar Sayeed Bhatti told The Tribune today.
Mr Bhatti also
asserted that the commission would ensure that a cricket-lover visa-seeker is
given the visa “within 24 hours of application”.
In a related development, an
inter-ministerial meeting was held in the Ministry of External Affairs, South
Block, today in which the MEA directed Indian Airlines, Delhi Transport
Corporation (DTC) and Indian Railways to talk to their Pakistani counterparts to
discuss management of transport for those going to Pakistan to watch the cricket
matches. Apart from Railways, DTC and IA, officials of Immigration and Customs
also attended the meeting.
Top official sources said the MEA asked the IA,
Railways and DTC “to explore” the possibility of additional flights, trains and
buses to transport the cricket lovers (with valid visas) to Pakistan.
Sources
in the Pakistan High Commission told The Tribune that Islamabad was not as keen
on running additional trains as it was on running special buses between Lahore
and Amritsar and they cited “operational reasons” for it. They said while it was
understandable that one single train (which can carry 700 persons) could
accommodate passengers of more than a dozen buses. But it would require a
minimum of 24 hours of waiting time for custom and immigration clearance at both
sides of the border, considering that each side takes just one minute to process
the travel documents of one passenger.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Deputy High
Commissioner, answering a specific query from this correspondent, said the 8000
visas his country had decided to issue for cricket matches was only with respect
to the five ODIs. He clarified that this did not cover the three Tests and said
additional visas would be announced for the Tests depending upon the response
for the ODIs.
Mr Bhatti disclosed that all online tickets had not been sold
out for the first ODI at Karachi (March 13) and some tickets were still
available for Wasim Akram Enclosure and Imran Khan Enclosure.
Asked about
reports of “chaotic” rush of cricket visa seekers at the commission today, Mr
Bhatti said, “There were only four or five cricket visa- seekers today. They
were told to come tomorrow. As far as the chaotic rush is concerned that is an
everyday affair. Every visa seeker who comes here does not come for watching
cricket matches in Pakistan,” Mr Bhatti said.
Mr Bhatti said though the High
Commission was still understaffed, every effort would be made to issue cricket
visas promptly and the High Commission staff were instructed today to work
overtime everyday (except the usual holidays on Saturdays and Sundays) to
achieve this objective.
The High Commissions of India and Pakistan are still
working with the strength of 55, though the two countries have already agreed to
raise this strength to 75. Mr Bhatti said because of procedural problems it was
highly unlikely that the approved additional 20 staffers could join before the
Indo-Pak cricket series ends.
