Pakistan, India fail to make breakthrough progress in the negotiations

Senior Pakistani and Indian interior ministry officials Friday ended two-day talks in Islamabad to introduce a "relaxed visa regime" and to promote people-to-people contacts, but failed to make any breakthrough.

The two sides, however, agreed to the discussions on the new visa agreement and the next meeting of joint working group will be held at New Delhi before the end of August, a joint statement said.

"The discussions were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere, " said the statements, adding the two sides discussed details and modalities of visa facilitation with a view to easing travel for nationals of either country desiring to visit the other.

The two sides also discussed amendments in the existing visa agreement and agreed to continue the discussions in the next meeting at New Delhi for finalization at the next Home/Interior Secretary level talks in Islamabad, it said.

The meeting examined the modalities for streamlining the visa procedures and to finalize the draft of bilateral visa agreement.

It was the first meeting of the joint working group, which was held in pursuance of the decision taken during the Pakistan-India Interior/Home Secretaries level talks held in New Delhi in March 2011.

The Pakistan delegation was led by Additional Interior Secretary Nasar Hayat and the Indian delegation was led by G.V.V. Sharma, Joint Secretary (Foreigners) of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Sources said that during the talks, a proposal was discussed to relax norms for issuance of visa to journalists, businessmen, senior citizens and patients traveling for medical treatment but they failed to reach an agreement.

Under the proposal, the visa issued for journalists, businessmen, senior citizens or patients traveling for treatment will not be city specific and visa holders would be allowed to travel across the country, according to officials.

Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram says India is "positive" to liberalize visa regime with Pakistan to facilitate greater people- to-people contacts between the two nations.

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