The latest news on Pakistan-India relations is that india has agreed to allow direct investment from Pakistan. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Amin Fahim and Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram have also inaugurated integrated Checkpost at Wagah-Attari as a part of an initiative to promote liberal trade between both the countries. Pakistan and India will also open their bank branches in each other’s countries. Every possible step is being taken to facilitate businessmen on both side of the border for their business travelling and India has agreed to issue 2 years multiple visa to Pakistani businessmen for their uninterrupted and smooth travelling.
But the common man on both sides of the border is waiting and watching as to when will the governments of both the countries realise the problems being faced by them for acquiring visit visas? It is much easier for a businessman to obtain visa of any country because his company is either a member of Karachi Chamber of Commerce or any other certified government institution. Businessmen can convince the embassies of any country by submitting the financial bank statements of their businesses to prove their financial strengths whereas a common man has to rely on sponsorship certificate sent by their relatives in India. It is learnt that Indian Embassy in Islamabad these days is rejecting 80
per cent of the visit visa applications that are submitted by common Pakistanis.
It is high time that governments of Pakistan and india make acquisition of visit visa as easy as possible. People-to-people contact between both the countries is as important as liberal trade ties. The sooner both countries understand this, the better.
M RAFIQUE ZAKARIA
Karachi