Friendly neighbour: Indian officials cast light on new visa regime

ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be another step towards improvement in bilateral trade relations, Pakistani business professionals got a first-hand opportunity on Thursday to get their queries about getting a business visa to India answered directly by officials of the Indian High Commission. The High Commission of India in Pakistan hosted business professionals from around the country at a workshop on “Business visa facilitation for bilateral trade promotion” here. “This is the first outreach activity by the Indian High Commission to provide information about getting business visas under the new visa regime,” Gopal Baglay, India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, told The Express Tribune. The new visa regime, which eased travel restrictions, had come into force almost a year ago, but there was little awareness of it, he said. Indian officials at the workshop said “bona fide” Pakistani business people can obtain a one-year multiple-entry business visa for visiting up to 10 Indian cities, if they meet the criteria set down in the visa regulations. Business people who can provide documentary evidence of annual income of more than Rs5 million or annual turnover of Rs30 million can avail themselves of this opportunity and also be exempted from police reporting after landing in India, the officials said. With an annual income of more than Rs0.5 million or annual turnover of more than Rs3 million, business people can apply for a one-year business visa for five places for up to four entries a year, according to the visa rules. Indian officials also gave a demonstration of filling an online visa application form to help the participants understand the process better. The workshop was organised at a time when trade talks between the two countries seem to be restarting ahead of general elections in India. Federal Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir visited India two weeks ago for the Saarc Conclave and spoke about providing Pakistani businesses access to the Indian market. The Indian government will also be organising an exhibition, “The India Show,” from February 14 to 16 in Lahore. “The objective of the workshop is to promote interaction, trade and exchanges between India and Pakistan,” Baglay said. But the workshop also served another purpose — getting feedback from the Pakistani business community about difficulties they face in the visa process. During rigorous discussions, Pakistani participants did not hold back from expressing the challenges they have faced in doing business with India. Members of different industries and representatives of chambers of commerce from across the country raised the issue of last-minute visas and city-based restrictions, difficulties in police reporting, technical problems in online visa application form and the hassle for regular business visitors to repeat the same visa process each year. Responding to the questions, Bagley said it is very important that the business community submits the visa application on time. He said the High Commission staff tries to process the visas as soon as possible, adding that the average time for business visa approval is less than the maximum 45-day period specified in visa information literature. Indian officials said they are adding the Wagah-Attari road travel option automatically to visa applications to facilitate visitors who miss their weekly flight from Delhi. Indian Economic and Commercial Counsellor Rajesh Kumar Agnihotri said a vintage car show and cultural gala would also be organised on the sidelines of the Indian trade exhibition in Lahore. Agnihotri said a convoy of around 40 vintage cars from India will travel from Amritsar to Wagah-Attari border where they would be escorted to Lahore by a convoy of vintage cars from Pakistan. Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2014.