Islamabad:
A liberalised visa agreement and some cross-LOC Confidence Building Measures or CBMs for Jammu and Kashmir are expected to be announced today as External Affairs Minister SM Krishna met with his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar in Islamabad.
The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders was expected to focus on the issue of terrorism, with New Delhi likely to take up the case of slow progress in the 26/11 trial. But official sources had told NDTV that visa and other border issues too would feature prominently in the discussions.
The CBMs, according to sources, will look at increased trade, group tourism, better communication facilities, and multiple-entry permits. The new visa agreement will benefit people of both the countries as it will facilitate multiple-entry and reporting-free visas for businessmen, allowing them to visit five cities instead of three as is the case at present.
It will also exempt elderly people from reporting to the police, thus allowing common people from either country to visit three earmarked cities instead of one and introducing a visa-on-arrival facility at Wagah for senior citizens aged above 65 and children. For the first time, group tourism too will figure as a part of the new pact. The new agreement, which will replace the old visa regime that was signed in 1974, will act as a great boost to people-to-people contact, a source said.
Speaking to NDTV, on the eve of the foreign ministers' talks, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik hailed the proposed visa agreement as a "historic move", adding that the pact would greatly help in cross-border movement.
(Watch)But when questioned on the issue of terrorism, Mr Malik said that India shouldn't go on about the slow pace of the 26/11 trial, saying that Pakistan too could say the same about the Samjhauta blasts case.
The 26/11 trial had dominated discussions between the foreign secretaries of both nations on the eve of the talks today.
(Read) The two, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and his Pakistani counterpart Jalil Abbas Jilani, were also present in the meeting today. Both ministers will also co-chair the Joint Commission Meeting later this evening, which was revived in 2005 after a gap of 16 years.
This is Mr Krishna's second visit to Pakistan in over two years.
On Friday, he had also met President Asif Ali Zardari, appealing for mercy for Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh. India got consular access to Sarabjit yesterday. Sources say that President Zardari has promised to look into the case.
(Read)(With inputs from PTI)