India rues Pak not reciprocating visa facilitation

New Delhi, May 18: India today said it wanted to make visa obtaining process less cumbersome for people going to Pakistan, but was hampered by lack of cooperation from Islamabad.

In the last two years, India has liberalised many visa procedures, but visa at entry point to Pakistanis unilaterally was not possible unless there was a reciprocal move by the neighbouring country, Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed told the Rajya Sabha today.

The Minister pointed out that India has permitted arranging for visa at Lahore through private agencies, but Pakistan does not give the same facility here to those visiting the country.

He was responding to a supplementary by Nirmala Deshpande, nominated, suggesting that unilateral action by India to give visa at entry point would go a long way in building up confidence and finally compelling the neighbour to do the same.

The Minister said the Governments of both the countries were first trying to open consulate generals in Karachi and Mumbai and it is after the process was complete that other visa facilitation measures could be considered.

When BJP member S S Ahluwalia suggested that the visa for Sikh pilgrims were confined to only representatives of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee and Delhi Gurudwara Management Committee, whereas Sikhs living in other parts of the country should also be given their due share, the Minister said he has noted his suggestion and the government would consider his demand.

UNI