Pakistan and India finalize visa agreement

ISLAMABAD: India is committed to rebuilding its relations with South Asian Pakistan through dialogue, Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna said.
Last year Pakistan and India resumed their tentative peace process.
“We are committed to finding solutions to all issues that have beset our relationships, through bilateral dialogue,” Krishna told reporters after arriving in Islamabad on a three-day visit.
The trip comes after Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of a summit in Tehran recently.
During his visit, Krishna will hold talks with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar.
“I bring a message of goodwill from India to the people of Pakistan. I wish to reiterate the desire of India to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan living in peace,” Krishna said.
The visit is not expected to produce breakthroughs on the major conflicts between the two neighbors, including the disputed territory of Kashmir.
But Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart, Hina Rabbani Khar, are expected to announce a new visa regime that will make travel easier in both directions.
“A new and liberalized visa agreement has been finalized,” Krishna said in an interview published in Pakistan’s The Express Tribune.
“It seeks to introduce or considerably improve visa facilities for tourists, businessmen,
elderly and those wishing to visit their relations and friends.”
Pakistan announced late last year that it would grant India “Most Favored Nation” trade status, which would reduce tariffs. New Delhi gave that status to Pakistan in 1996.