The Indian Home Ministry has relaxed rules for paving way for extension of long-term visa (LTV) to a minimum of at least four categories of Pakistani nationals residing in the country.

The people of minority communities like Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan, Pakistani women wedded to Indian nationals but living in India, Indian women in conjugal to Pakistani nationals and coming back because of widowhood/divorce and possessing no male member to hold up to in Pakistan are those groups who meet the criteria for getting exemption from the provisions of Rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.

And in cases where Pakistani nationals have come to India with an intention to attain Indian citizenship, or many like this, the State Governments and the Union Territories have been asked to consider them for extension of long-term visa of these categories without insisting on the validity of passports. This is another step taken by the Ministry.

“We want a visa-free zone between India and Pakistan that will facilitate normal visits to India. It will also help build more confidence between the two countries. The Indian government should grant visas on the pattern of Pakistan government -- which gives visas to Indian Sikhs for pilgrimage to the historic places in Pakistan”, said Wazir Singh, leader of a 136-member Sikh group from Peshawar.