Pakistan and India to ease on visa policy for businessmen

Pakistan and India to ease on visa policy for businessmen

Shahid Malik, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, said on Tuesday, December 20 that a very liberal visa policy between the two countries is likely to be put in place very soon.

Malik talking to Irfan Qaiser Sheikh, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) President, said that all formalities in this regard had already been worked out between India and Pakistan.

Malik said that as per new visa policy, Pakistani and Indian businessmen would get 10-destination one-year multiple visas, which would help increase the trade to $6 billion, as opposed to current $2 billion mark.

The Pakistani High Commissioner said, “Indian Commerce Minister is likely to visit Pakistan in February 2012 and the visit would further strengthen trade relations between the two countries.”

Talking about the ongoing Pak-India meetings in the backdrop of the MFN status to India, Malik said that all core issues including Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek, water and visa policy were very much part of the dialogue.

The Pakistan High Commissioner to India said that three new issues including import of electricity, petroleum products and BT cottonseed were added to the talk’s agenda.

Malik revealed that the issue of non-tariff barriers was at the top of the agenda and that New Delhi was very well committed to it.

The LCCI President also shared his views and said that the chamber understands that all possible efforts would be made by the government to ensure the removal of non-tariff barriers, before finally granting the MFN status to India.

“Any step taken without addressing the concerns and fears of the private sector with regard to awarding the MFN status to India will only result in causing more problems to the domestic industry and economy overall,” said Sheikh.

The LCCI President said that there are complex domestic, political and security pressures on both sides, which have effects on the existing framework for bilateral trade.

“The business community in Pakistan strongly feels that despite having the MFN status granted by India, a great deal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers are still in place,” the LCCI President said.

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Posted by Wajahat Javed on Dec 21 2011. Filed under Business, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry