India eases visa restrictions for Pakistan

NEW DELHI—Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh leaves Sunday for Pakistan for comprehensive talks covering trade to military matters, but New Delhi is clear that Islamabad will have to first stop backing terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir.
Natwar Singh will spend four days in Islamabad and Karachi, meet his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and also call on President Pervez Musharraf as part of efforts to prepare for the third round of bilateral talks next year.
“The aim is to review the progress (in the India-Pakistan composite dialogue) so far and set the stage for the next round,” an official said.
As per IANS report, the minister will be accompanied by officials from other ministries as well, including those of tourism and civil aviation, and he will return to New Delhi after seeing the renovation work going on at the Indian consulate in Karachi. This will be first high-level contact between India and Pakistan since the meeting in New York Sep 16 between Musharraf and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. During the minister’s  visit, the two countries will sign an agreement on notifying each other in advance about missile tests. Another accord to be inked will cover establishing communications links between the Indian Coast Guard and Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency.
The two countries could make progress in their dragging talks over their disputes over the Siachen glacier in Kashmir - the world’s highest battlefield - and the Sir Creek in Gujarat. The India-Pakistan Joint Commission will also meet for the first time in 16 years to discuss affairs related to trade and commerce, information, education, visa and travel.
The Indian side plans to discuss a proposed extradition treaty, a liberalised visa regime, easy consular access to prisoners in both countries and increasing the number of pilgrims visiting both countries, as well as increasing the number of designated pilgrim spots. India, however, wants Pakistan to give permission to it to do trade with Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Middle East using Pakistani territory to transit.
Official sources said as Pakistan did not mind India getting gas from Iran through a pipeline passing overland on its territory, it should have no objection for the Indian request for transit rights. The sources added: “Pakistan has frequently positioned itself as a bridge for West Asia and Central Asia. Pakistani cannot play the role of a bridge unless Indian goods can transit through its territory.
“After all that is the logic we have in the gas pipeline.” But on the composite dialogue per se, India is emphatic that further progress would be possible only when Pakistan dismantles the entire “terrorist infrastructure” it has built on its soil with the ostensible purpose of promoting cross-border insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. “Concerns about (continuing) cross-border terrorism will be taken up,” one official said. “On the question of terrorist infrastructure (in Pakistan), the situation has not changed at all.”
All is not clearly rosy. Pakistan recently hosted a tourism mart, but did not give visas to Indian officials as well as tour operators. “Despite the disappointment, we will be making a preparation (to woo Pakistani tourists),” the official said. One official added that India was also pressing for trade through (land) border but the proposal had so far not been accepted. Islamabad is also not keen on allowing Indian television channels and movies to be shown in Pakistan.
But positive signs are there too. The State Bank of India wants to open a branch in Pakistan, while Pakistan’s Habib Bank has sought license to operate in India. Pakistan has also identified a building in south Mumbai where it will initially open a consulate before buying land in north Mumbai where it will permanently house it consulate. “Our view is that we should move further on people-to-people contacts, on military-to-military CBMs (confidence building measures), even cooperation between our national defence colleges. “We should keep the process going. We should stay the course. We have a road map (for peace).—Agencies