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India eases visa rules for Pakistanis

In its efforts to promote people to people contacts, India today announced major steps to ease visa and travel restrictions for several categories of Pakistani nationals including judges, newspaper editors and members of the national cricket and hockey teams.

The relaxation, which comes into effect from April 2, would exempt these Pakistani visitors from police reporting and would allow them to travel anywhere in India, the external affairs ministry said.

The Pakistani visa holders will be entitled to multiple entry visas for one year and they will be exempt from the restrictions of city-specific visas.

Those who will benefit by this relaxation are: judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and of the various high courts, attorney general, solicitor general and chairperson of the Supreme Court Bar Association, editors-in-chiefs of national newspapers and owners or principal functionaries of national newspapers, members of the national cricket and hockey teams, members of the National Assembly and senate, leaders and deputy leaders of the provincial assemblies and of the opposition, vice chancellors of recognised universities, secretaries and secretary rank officers of the federal government of Pakistan, and spouse and dependent children, ie, sons up to 18 years of age and unmarried daughters of the persons for whom the visa rules have been relaxed.

UNI

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