India considering special visas for Pak cricket fans

India on Friday said it would try to ensure that maximum number of Pakistani fans travel across the border to watch matches when the two countries resume cricket ties next month after a gap of four years.

Sharat Sabharwal, Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, on Friday met PCB officials at the Board's headquarters in Lahore and said they were considering granting a special  category of visa to Pakistani fans but did not promise anything.

Sabharwal said the PCB chief had written to him sometime back regarding issuance of the special category visa.

"This is still work in progress and I can't say anything specific on this issue. But we are very actively looking at this issue and we are giving a thought to it and our effort

will be to ensure maximum number of people get to watch the matches in India," Sabharwal said at a media conference.

"I had a meeting with him (Ashraf) on Friday and congratulated him on the work done by the PCB and BCCI to ensure that the cricketing ties, which were in abeyance for sometime, are being resumed," he said.

The Indian HC visited the PCB headquarters on the invitation of the PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf, who said he was hopeful there will be some good news for Pakistani fans who wish to travel to India for the series.

Pakistan team is due to tour India from December 22 to  play two T20 matches and three one-day internationals. Ashraf said a delegation would go to India by the end of November to check security arrangements for the series.

Asked about whether he would recommend to his government to send the Indian team to Pakistan next year, Sabharwal said he would not like to impose himself on territory  which belongs to the two Boards.

"I can tell you that we in principle encourage and want expansion of sports between the two countries but what matches are to be played and when they are to be played I leave  that to the Boards," he said.