E-Paper
Cricket visas to be issued from Feb 24
The Indian High Commission would start issuing visas for Pakistani cricket fans from Thursday from different cities in Pakistan.
The Indian High Commission would start issuing visas for Pakistani cricket fans from Thursday from different cities in Pakistan.
Special counters for "cricket visas", which will be issued to those having valid tickets for matches, will be opened at the High Commission office here and visas would be granted in 24 hours, a High Commission press release said on Monday.
The counters will remain open throughout the series and would function five days a week from Monday to Friday. Those applying for visas on Friday would receive them on Saturday.
The first visa camp will be held in Lahore from February 25 to 27 and another will be opened in Karachi in the first half of next month, it said.
Visas will be valid for the duration of the match with additional days for travel to and from the venues, it said.
As a special gesture, the two countries would allow cricket visa holders to cross the Wagah border point by foot, besides bus, train and air routes.
Officials here said special bus and train services were being planned to meet the rush besides the routine bus services between New Delhi and Lahore and train services between Attari and Lahore.
They, however, ruled out permitting vehicles to cross over Pakistan to India as it involved complex procedures.
In all about 10,000 visas were expected to be given for the three-Test and six-match one-day international series.
Maximum tickets, numbering around 5000, were expected to be sold for the first Test match to be played in Mohali from March 8 as it was close to the border.
