India, Pakistan Form Group To Promote Tourism

Even before the recent earthquake hit India and Pakistan, the two countries had already formed a Joint Working Group (JWG) to explore opportunities for promoting tourism. According to sources, Amitab Kant, joint secretary of tourism ministry, and other officials made video presentations to Pakistan's group tour operators and tourism officials in Islamabad and Karachi to demonstrate that the two countries could tap a huge market of over a million tourists through liberalisation of visa regime and promoting group tourism.

India has proposed to Pakistan to amend the existing agreement on visa to increase group tours to religious shrines and cultural exchange programme. The two sides agreed to pursue these proposals under the next round of composite dialogue process beginning in January.

These initiatives are developing as India and Pakistan re-establish a panel to promote economic cooperation as another step in the peace process between the nuclear-armed rivals. The ministers said new bus routes will be opened, including one between Rawalakot in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir and Poonch on the Indian side. A bus service had reopened between Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir, and Srinagar, capital of Indian Kashmir in April this year.