India and Pakistan are expected to formally announce by May the finalisation of a new visa regime to facilitate movement of businessmen from both the countries, visiting Pakistan commerce secretary Zafar Mahmood said on Thursday.
"In principle, the visa things are finalised. But it needs to be formally announced and approved. This would be done by by the interior ministry of Pakistan and the home ministry of India," Mahmood said. He was speaking to reporters after the inaugural function of the four-day 'Lifestyle Pakistan' exhibition in New Delhi.
Mahmood said that there are possibilities, under the new agreement, that a businessman from either country would get a visa for more than one year and that too for more number of cities. "We expect that the meeting (between the Pakistan's interior ministry of and the India's home ministry ) would take place in April or May and this would be formally announced," he added.
India and Pakistan are working towards revising the existing bilateral visa agreement that was signed in 1974 to facilitate travel by bonafide businessmen from both the countries. Mahmood said now the movement of people is restrictive wherein "a (Pakistani) businessman coming to Delhi cannot even go to Gurgaon (in Haryana)".
He also said that there was a need to improve the infrastructure at borders to boost the movement of goods like cement.
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