India on Saturday announced further liberalisation of visa norms for Pakistani nationals, including doctors, academicians and accredited journalists, setting a positive tone for next week's meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf in New York.
Pakistani medical doctors, if accompanying patients for treatment at reputed hospitals in India, can now be issued visas without the mandatory requirement of reference to headquarters in Islamabad and will also be exempted from reporting to the police, external affairs ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters in Delhi.
A similar easing of restriction will be available for Pakistani journalists with three years accreditation and working for national or international media organizations of repute. They could be issued multiple entry visas.
Academicians, professors, vice-chancellors and those coming to India on the invitation of reputed/eminent universities and institutions too can get multiple entry visas without prior reference to headquarters. They will also be exempted from police reporting.
All Pakistani nationals above the age of 65 could be granted visas with exemption from police reporting.
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These are 'unilateral' measures but the Indian government hopes the Pakistan government would reciprocate.
External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, during the recent visit Delhi of his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, had announced that New Delhi was ready to give free visas to Pakistani journalists.
Under the existing mechanism, visas are issued to meet relatives on the other side, group travel to religious shrines on special occasions and for journalists, academicians and others for specified purposes.
The South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), comprising journalists from SAARC countries, has strongly advocated that the respective governments should ensure hassle-free movement of journalists among these countries, particularly between India and Pakistan.