Krishna in Pakistan, new visa agreement to be signed today

The much-awaited new, liberalised visa agreement between India and Pakistan will be signed today, Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik said in Islamabad on Friday.

The much-awaited new, liberalised visa agreement between India and Pakistan will be signed on Saturday, Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik said in Islamabad on Friday.

Though the agreement was finalised earlier, Pakistan insisted on signing at a political level. “We are going to sign the visa agreement. It is going to be a very positive step in our bilateral ties,” Malik told reporters.

He also said Pakistan is looking at the issue of the release of Sarabjit Singh, but urged the law of the land should prevail.

Meanwhile, the stage is set for the India, Pakistan foreign ministers meeting on Saturday. External affairs minister SM Krishna, who arrived in Islamabad on Friday, held discussions with top Pakistan leaders including president Asif Ali Zadari and both sides struck positive notes about the dialogue process.

Krishna reiterated India's “desire to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan living in peace with itself and the world”.

"The leadership of India and Pakistan has mandated building of trust and confidence between our two countries. We are committed to finding solutions to all issues that have beset our relationship through peaceful bilateral dialogue," the minister said.

The foreign secretaries of the two countries held a discussions on Friday to prepare the ground before the ministers meet. Krishna and his Pakistan counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar will review the second round of the dialogue process and set in motion the next round of the resumed talks on Saturday. The dialogue process was suspended after the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack.