Visa gift for PoK residents

India decided on Saturday to grant multi-entry visas of six-month validity to people from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir visiting Jammu and Kashmir.

India decided on Saturday to grant multi-entry visas of six-month validity to people from the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir visiting Jammu and Kashmir.

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At present, visitors from the PoK get single-entry visas of one-month validity that can be extended by two weeks.

This confidence-building measure comes ahead of the India-Pakistan home secretary-level talks on March 28 and 29.

The government is, however, still awaiting a formal response to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's invitation to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to watch the semi-final in Mohali.