Pakistan to relax visa regulations

The Pakistan government has told the foreign office to relax visa regulations for Indians travelling to watch the upcoming Pakistan-India series.

A report from India Abroad News Service quoted an official of the foreign ministry as saying, "We have received instructions from the prime minister's secretariat to make special arrangements for issuing visas for the cricket series."

The Indians arrive in Lahore on March 10, and will play five one-day internationals and three Tests, in addition to a one-day warm-up game. The one-day series will start in Karachi on March 13.

According to the official, the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi had been given instructions to the effect that all Indians carrying "valid documents, bookings in Pakistani hotels, and tickets for the matches will be given visas".

The visas will be issued on a "first-come, first-served" basis, and the number issued would depend on the capacity of the stadiums where matches are to be played. For a one-day match, three-day visas would be issued, while for Tests, they would be for seven days.

Meanwhile, officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have said that Indians too can purchase tickets online. "Different organizations have already started the online sale of tickets for next month's series," said the official. Only 20 per cent of the tickets have been allotted for sale on the Internet, with the remaining to be sold at the gates.

There has been tremendous interest from Indian and Pakistani expatriates living in Britain, the USA and the Middle East.