The Hindu : National : India, Pakistan seek to ease visa regime

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Thursday, Nov 27, 2008
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India, Pakistan seek to ease visa regime

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan will have another crack at easing the restrictive visa regime, the two sides decided at the two-day Home Secretaries’ talks that concluded here on Wednesday.

The two governments will also work towards putting in place a system for fast-tracking the release of each other’s nationals from their jails.

At the end of the talks, the Indian side said Pakistan was receptive to its concerns about terrorism and that both countries were trying to “move forward in a meaningful manner” on this issue.

Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta led the Indian delegation, while Pakistan Interior Secretary Kamal Shah headed the Pakistani side. The two sides released a joint statement, seen as a sign that the talks went well.

Mr. Gupta said there was no discussion on individual cases or specific incidents of terrorism in India.

“We have been saying there have been incidents of terrorism in our country and that issues relating to involvement of Pakistanis have come up and that this is a matter of concern for us,” he said.

Pakistan ‘positive’

The Home Secretary described the “attitude and response” of the Pakistani side as “very positive”.

“They told us that they are also suffering terrorist attacks and that they are as keen to tackle this, and that they want to cooperate with us on this issue,” he said.

The Pakistani side expressed its keenness that the January 2009 Indian cricket tour of Pakistan should go ahead. The Indian side’s response was that it was “our equal desire” to see the tour go ahead, but gave no assurance. Mr. Gupta said the broad parameters of a liberalised visa policy were discussed, and based on this India would propose a draft within four weeks. Pakistan promised to respond expeditiously, he said.

The proposed liberalisation, Mr. Gupta said, was aimed at increasing people-to-people contacts “at all levels,” which could contribute positively to the overall relations between the two countries.

The new policy being discussed envisages an expansion in the categories of people that can be given visas as well as changes in some procedures. At present, only people with relatives on the other side can apply for visit visas. Most travellers have to register with a local police station on arrival and at departure, they have to enter and exit through the same port and are restricted to visiting three cities.

India and Pakistan have been trying to arrive at a more civilised visa policy for years now. The last attempt began in 2005, when India proposed a draft to which Pakistan responded in late 2006. But the proposals from the two sides did not match at all and the whole issue went back to the drawing board in 2007.

This time, Mr. Gupta and other Indian officials present at the talks said, the broad contours were already agreed upon, and the draft would hold no surprises for Pakistan, enabling it to respond with its own proposals quickly.

Both sides also agreed to revise a 1974 list of shrines that pilgrims of one country can visit in the other.

Prisoners issue

The two sides sounded confident that they could work on getting their nationals presently in the other country’s prisons released quickly. “There will always be prisoners. That we cannot resolve, but we can work towards their expeditious release,” Mr. Gupta said.

The two sides agreed to exchange lists of civilian prisoners (different from “security” prisoners who are caught and charged for spying) who have completed their sentences and whose nationality has been confirmed by December 31, so that they can be released early in the new year.

The Indian side it was ready to release 100 such Pakistanis who are now in Indian jails. It has also been agreed to complete verification of the nationality of prisoners within six weeks after consular access has been provided. At present, in many cases the process takes even one year. The two sides have revived interest in finalising a draft agreement to deal with “inadvertent” border crossers, so that such individuals do not have to spend time in prison but can be sent back, possibly through an arrangement between the Border Security Force and Rangers.

The Home Secretaries initialled an MoU on “Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotics Drugs/Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemicals and Related Matters”.

The heads of Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force and India’s Narcotics Control Bureau are to meet “as early as possible” to discuss ways of furthering cooperation on this issue.

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