Wagah, January 5
The Government of Pakistan has decided to grant multiple visa to Indian journalists to visit any part of the country. This was stated by Mr Arshad Ansari, president of the Lahore Press Club, leader of the 57-Pakistani journalists who crossed over to India from the Wagah joint checkpost, here today.

He said Gen Pervez Musharraf had directed the Pakistan embassy to give liberal visas to Indian journalists. He said the Chandigarh Press Club and the Lahore Press Club would jointly launch a fellowship to journalists from both countries for creating goodwill. The Pakistani journalists said the media of both countries could play a significant role in this regard. This is for the first time that a delegation of Pakistani journalists have arrived in India on the invitation of the Chandigarh Press Club. The delegation included senior journalists of the electronic and print media.

The delegation was received by members of the Chandigarh Press Club, Deputy Commissioner Kirandip Singh Bhullar and Mr R.P.S. Brar, district police chief.

Farah Waraich, News Editor of Jang (Lahore) and the only woman member of the delegation, said the Act of Honour Killing 2004 which proposes death penalty or life imprisonment for such crimes had been implemented from today.

Honour killings were known as “karo-kari”, in Pakistan. Women murdered in honour killings were generally recorded as having committed suicide or killed in accidents. In the tribal areas of Pakistan, about 1,000 women are killed every year.