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Pak delegation wants easing of visa rules
Jyoti Rai
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 19
A delegation of Pakistani industrialists and mediapersons today acknowledged that there were numerous hurdles in the way to a stable and peaceful relation between India and Pakistan and said both countries could take several uncontroversial initiatives to give a fillip to engagement between two neighbours. At a discussion at the Indian Women Press Corps in the capital today, they called for the civil society to work together in this regard.

“Only two Indian journalists are allowed in Pakistan and vice versa. Just 100 industrialists get the SAARC visa to travel around in SAARC countries including India. Other mediapersons, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, singers and people at large strive for a proper visa in India. The visa is limited to certain cities or at times to limited places in a city, which doesn’t make sense,” said Humayun Bashir, Country General Manager, IBM (Pakistan).

They are here as a part of a peace initiative jointly sponsored by an Indian and a Pakistani media house.

They said political issues apart, there were several “petty” issues that could be sorted out if both countries thought so.

Apart from the visa hassles, there could be a more active exchange of information among the media of the two counties. “We get most of the Indian channels in Pakistan. People are hooked to Bollywood movies and stars. But news channels are restricted and similarly most Pakistani channels are not allowed in India,” said Beena Sarwar of Jang group.