The Home Secretaries of India and Pakistan will hold bilateral talks on May 24 and 25 in Islamabad during which a liberalised visa regime for the two countries is expected to be approved apart from New Delhi pressing for action against perpetrators of 26/11 attack.

According to Home Ministry, a decision on issuance of multiple-entry and reporting-free visas for businessmen, allowing them to visit five cities instead of three as at present, is expected to be taken. Liberalisation of visa procedures will benefit people of both the countries as it will also exempt elderly people from police reporting, allowing common people from either country to visit three earmarked cities instead of one. The Union Cabinet had given its nod for signing the pact on April 25.

The Indian delegation, led by Union Home Secretary R K Singh, will also press for action from Pakistan to bring the Mumbai terror attack perpetrators to justice, and speedy trial in a Pakistani court of the accused like Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, both nations have held discussions on multiple-entry and reporting-free visas for businessmen as part of reducing non-tariff barriers
to promote trade and economic ties. Mr Scindia informed that visa restriction is considered a major hurdle by traders in the normalisation of bilateral trade ties.

Quoting the joint statement issued after the two Commerce Minister level talks in April, he said that both trade ministers expressed a joint wish that business visa regime needs to be liberalised at the earliest. AIR correspondent reports tht the Home-Secretary level talks are likely to be held in Islamabad later this month.