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Liberalised India, Pak visa pact soon: Krishna
Ashok Tuteja
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 25
India and Pakistan will sign a liberalised visa agreement when the Home/ Interior secretaries of the two countries meet soon, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said today.

He was making a suo motu statement in Parliament on the April 8 visit of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to India during which he held talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before making a pilgrimage to Ajmer.

The two leaders felt that priority needed to be given to issues of people-to-people contacts and that the liberalised visa agreement that had already been finalised should be signed, Krishna added.

The draft of the liberalised visa accord, which will ease travel restrictions for businessmen, divided families and those above 65 years, was finalised by officials of the two countries in October last year. It was mutually agreed by the two sides that the agreement would be signed when the Home/Interior secretaries meet in Islamabad as part of the dialogue process.

Pakistan had suggested April 16 for the Indian Home secretary’s visit to Islamabad. However, India expressed its inability to send R K Singh to the neighbouring country on that day in view of the chief ministers’ meet on internal security. India subsequently proposed that the meeting could take place after the ongoing Budget session of Parliament ends on April 22.

Krishna said the Prime Minister told Zardari that there was need for Pakistan to take firm action to curb terrorism to enable the two countries to make a forward movement in the bilateral relationship. Manmohan Singh also told the Pakistani leader that it was imperative to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack to justice and prevent activities against India from the Pakistani soil. In this connection, he also mentioned the activities being carried out in public by JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, whom India considers the mastermind of the Mumbai attack.

The PM said India’s concerns on terrorism had to be addressed if the people of India were to support and sustain progress in bilateral relations. President Zardari referred to judicial processes against Saeed and said the matter needed to be discussed further between the two countries. It was noted that the Home/ Interior secretaries would meet shortly and discuss the issue of terrorism further.

Manmohan Singh appreciated the fact that Pakistan has moved forward on trade-related issues. Both leaders felt that the two countries should tap into the considerable potential of bilateral economic and trade ties for progress and prosperity of the people of the two countries. The issue has been discussed by the Commerce secretaries of the two countries and there was a way forward which has already been identified, Krishna added.

the benefits

The draft of the liberalised visa accord, which will ease travel restrictions for businessmen, divided families and those above 65 years, was finalised by officials of the two countries in October last. It was mutually agreed by the two sides that the agreement would be signed when the Home/Interior secretaries meet in Islamabad as part of the dialogue process.