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Pak keen to sign new visa agreement during Krishna's visit

Pakistan is keen to sign a new visa agreement during External Affairs Minister S M Krishna's visit to Islamabad during September 7-9 for talks with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, official sources said today.

Krishna will visit Pakistan to review the last round of thebilateral dialogue process with Khar, the Foreign Office announced today.

He will visit Pakistan for "holding a review meetingwith the Foreign Minister at her invitation", an official statement said.

Sources in the Foreign Office told PTI that the Pakistaniside wanted the new visa agreement to be signed during Krishna's visit.

The sources said work on the pact had been completed.

The visa agreement was set to be signed during a meeting ofthe Home and Interior Secretaries of the two countries in May but it was heldup at the last minute due to opposition from Interior Minister Rehman Malik.

Talking to reporters on the margins of the Non-AlignedMovement Summit in Tehran today, Malik said Pakistan had finalised work on thenew visa regime with India and hoped the agreement would be signed during theIndian External Affairs Minister's visit to Pakistan.

However, it is believed that a formal understanding on thesigning of the agreement is yet to be hammered out by both sides.

Indian officials were surprised when the signing of theagreement was put off at the last minute during Home Secretary R K Singh'svisit to Islamabad in May.

A joint statement issued after the talks between the Homeand Interior Secretaries said both sides had welcomed the finalisation of a newvisa agreement and "agreed to sign it at an early date".

The Pakistani side informed the Indian team that "someinternal approvals were under process and the agreement will be signed oncethey are in place".

At the time, Interior Minister Malik said the agreementinvolved important issues and should be concluded at the political level.

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PTI
Published Aug 30, 2012, 2:03 PM IST
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