New Delhi, March 4
The Tribune understands
that India is likely to allow Pakistan to set up a special visa camp in Amritsar
from March 17 to 20 to facilitate cricket lovers from the region to travel to
Pakistan for watching the forthcoming Indo-Pak series.
Pakistan had requested
the Government of India to set up a visa camp in Amritsar to facilitate issuance
of visas for the cricket lovers of the region.
The Government of India has
examined the matter and it is expected that there will be a positive response
soon to the Pakistani request.
The positive response of the Government of India
is likely to be formally announced within this week.
Meanwhile, signals from
Pakistan on the Indian request for allowing Indian Airlines, Indian Railways and
DTC to operate cricket special flights, trains and buses appear to be positive,
though the Pakistani response is still awaited.
Sources in the Pakistan High
Commission here told The Tribune today: “We will do everything possible to make
sure that as many Indians travel to Pakistan as possible to watch the cricket
matches.”
The Government of India yesterday conveyed to Pakistan, both here and
in Islamabad, that additional transport modes, especially trains, were needed to
cope with the expected cricket lovers’ rush.
The Government of India does not
buy the Pakistani argument of long-drawn immigration and customs checks at both
sides of the border for a train which carries 700 persons. New Delhi’s
counter-argument is that a flight which carries 350 persons gets
custom/immigration clearance within half an hour because there are some 20
officers to handle the job.
Pakistan’s High Commission here, meanwhile, today
started receiving applications for cricket visas at a special counter, though
not a single visa could be issued today.
Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner
Munnawar Sayeed Bhatti told The Tribune that some 40-45 cricket visa
applications were received today and it would take a few days to issue the
visas.
“There is still a lot of time left as most of the visa applications
received today were for Lahore (which hosts two one-day internationals on March
21 and 24). We are determined to cope with the situation,” Mr Bhatti said.
