New Delhi, March 5
India today permitted Pakistan to set up a special cricket visa camp in Amritsar from March 17-20, while the Pakistan High Commission here is expected to issue the first batch of cricket visas only on Monday, March 8.

The Amritsar visa camp is aimed at facilitating the people of the region to travel to Pakistan for watching the Indo-Pak series beginning in that country from March 13, a Foreign Office spokesman announced.

The spokesman said, “We have conveyed to Pakistan today our approval of the proposal for a visa camp in Amritsar to facilitate people from that region to go to Pakistan for watching cricket matches.” This is the first time that India has permitted Pakistan to hold a visa camp by Pakistan in Amritsar.

Pakistan’s Deputy High Commissioner here, Mr Munnawar Sayeed Bhatti, told The Tribune today that the first cricket visas could not be issued before March 8. He said it was a cumbersome process as the tickets for the matches were being sold on the Internet and the High Commission here could not issue visas till the necessary counterchecks with the Pakistan Cricket Board were made.

“This process, as we are discovering ourselves, can take two to four days,” Mr Bhatti said.

The Pakistan High Commission, according to Mr Bhatti, today received some 150 visa applications. The High Commission also received some 40-45 visa applications and passports from Indian journalists. The journalists are likely to be given visas on Monday.

The Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has given the first list of 98 journalists to the Pakistan High Commission and more lists are not ruled out. Besides, the PCB also intends to invite a sizable number of guests from India for watching the matches. All these will be in addition to the 8000-odd visas the Pakistan Government has promised to give to Indians, Mr Bhatti said.