Type: Parliament Questions and Answers

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to satate :-

(a) whether any agreement for issuing visa arrival to specific category of people from Pakistan has been signed with the Government of Pakistan in the recently held Secretary level talks;

(b) if so, the details of agreement arrived between the countries; and

(c) if any, such agreement has been deferred, the reasons for deferring the same?

ANSWER: THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI E. AHAMED)

(a) to (d) In pursuance of the decision taken during the India-Pakistan Home/ Interior Secretary level talks held at New Delhi on 28-29 March 2011, the second meeting of the Joint Working Group was held at New Delhi on 13-14 October 2011, to examine the modalities for streamlining the visa procedures and to finalize the draft of the new Bilateral Visa Agreement with a view to easing travel for the nationals of either country desiring to visit the other. The two sides finalized the draft text of the Bilateral Visa Agreement.

In the second round of the resumed dialogue, the Home/Interior Secretary level talks were held in Islamabad on 24-25 May 2012. Both sides welcomed the finalization of the Visa Agreement and agreed to sign it at an early date. The Pakistan side informed that some internal approvals were under process and the Agreement will be signed once they are in place.

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Pakistan
South Asia