New visa regime launched

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar launched a new Visa Regime in Islamabad today to at-tract foreign investors.
Speaking on the occasion, PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar emphasised the need to further rationalize and liberalize the visa policy. He noted that until and unless we do not open up to the world, it will be challenging to attract invest-ment and develop trade and economic relationships.
The prime minister said visa is the cornerstone of economic relationship. He expressed confidence that the Interior Ministry will come up with more suggestions to further improve the visa policy. In September, Caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar had announced a new easy visa regime for foreign businessmen desiring to visit Pakistan.
In a statement after the fifth meeting of the Apex Committee of Special Investment Facilitation Coun-cil (SIFC), he said that important decisions were made in the meeting. According to one of the decisions, he said those foreign businessmen who want to visit Pakistan would get easy visas based on a document from their country or from international business organisations. Pakistani missions would issue visas to foreign businessmen based on that single document, he said adding that the new visa regime would make Pakistan a country open for business.
The prime minister said besides if Pakistan’s chambers of business or business organizations issue a document to a foreign businessman, easy visas would also be issued to them. People who work in mid-sized and large businesses could also avail this facility of visa, he added.
He expressed the hope that under this new visa regime, Pakistan would enter a new phase of busi-ness and economy. –Agencies