New window for quick visas to Pak traders

Taking the thaw in Indo-Pak ties a step further, the Centre today announced the opening of a ‘‘separate window’’ in the ...

Taking the thaw in Indo-Pak ties a step further, the Centre today announced the opening of a ‘‘separate window’’ in the high commission in Islamabad for quick clearance of visas for Pakistani businessmen. Menon also said the simplest and direct way to improve trade ties between the two countries was to reciprocate the most favoured nation status to New Delhi.

Making his first visit to Karachi, Indian High Commissioner Shivshankar Menon talked about plans to run visa camps to enable more Pakistanis to travel to India.

Addressing the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), he said the Indian High Commission currently cleared business visas in three weeks to ‘‘bonafide’’ Pakistan businessmen. ‘‘We are opening a new window for business visas in the Indian High Commission at Islamabad and when our staffing levels permit, we shall be running visa camps in Karachi as well,’’ he added.

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His announcement followed appeals from the locals about the need to travel more than 1,000 km to Islamabad to obtain visas to go to India. The Indian Consulate was closed here in 1992 after differences between the two nations. Menon is here on a three-day visit to interact with top Pakistani businessmen and industrialists on the steps to be taken to improve trade between the two nations.

Announcing the steps to improve speedy clearance of visas, Menon, in his address to the PCCI, said the MFN option offered the easy way towards stepping up trade between the two countries. ‘‘The simplest and most direct way would be for Pakistan to reciprocate the MFN treatment that India now extends to Pakistan.’’ He said according to studies the MFN option could increase trade up to $6 billion.

In his address to the PCCI, Menon said that besides the MFN option, the SAFTA framework treaty, approved at the SAARC summit in Islamabad also provided a new opportunity to step up trade ties between the two nations. ‘‘The other route which now shows considerable promise is to use the mechanisms available to us in SAARC.’’ — (PTI)

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