Cabinet ratifies Pak-India visa agreement, PM pledges free and fair polls
ISLAMABAD, (SANA): The Federal Cabinet has ratified on Wednesday the Pakistan India visa regime agreement.
The agreement had been signed between the then Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and Interior Minister Rehman Malik last month.
Pakistan and India had signed the new liberalized visa regime giving more concessions and simplifying the procedure to grant visa with a view to promote people-to-people contacts and enhance trade and business activities between two neighbours.
According to the new visa regime, more concessions have been given to the businessmen from both the countries with giving them multiple entry one year visa with the exemption from the police report and with increasing the number of cities.
The development is part of Pakistan and India’s historic agreement to change visa regimes, which seeks to do away with decades-old strict travel restrictions on cross-border movement between the two countries, signed in September during the visit of the then Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to Pakistan.
Addressing the cabinet meeting Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said, “Holding free‚ fair and transparent elections is my top priority”.
He was of the view that there is election activity prevailing in the country and it would be a mile stone for the PPP government what it has been achieved during its 5 year in office.
He said the holding of transparent elections is the right of the people and it is PPP coalition government s one point agenda to arrange transparent elections in any manner.
Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the decision by the Supreme Court on Asghar Case has raised an important question for the nation but assured the nation that the forthcoming elections would be transparent and the occurrences of Asghar Khan Case like illegal activities would be endeavoured to be not repeated in future.
The Prime Minister said that during his visit to Saudi Arabia for the performance of Hajj‚ he met the leadership of that country and gave them the message of good wishes from the people of Pakistan.
He further added that he visited Saudi Arabia as the special guest of Khadimul Harmain Sharifain King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz who had sent him an invitation for the Hajj.
He visited Masjid Al-Qiblatain, Masjid Al-Quba and the Saba (seven) Masajid. He offered Nawaafil there and prayed for the prosperity and progress of the country.
Ends-SANA-AK-AA
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