The Hindu : Visas for India, Pak. envoys

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 18, 2003

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Visas for India, Pak. envoys

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI Feb. 17. India and Pakistan have agreed to simultaneously issue visas tomorrow to fill the posts of Deputy High Commissioners which have been "vacant'' since the tit-for-tat expulsions on February 8.

From the Indian side, T.C.A. Raghavan will be the new Deputy High Commissioner and Charge d'Affaires (in the absence of the High Commissioner) in Islamabad, and Munawar Saeed Bhatty will be his counterpart in New Delhi.

Following diplomatic contacts, the two sides, going by the principle of "reciprocity'', have agreed to issue the visas for Mr. Raghavan and Mr. Bhatty tomorrow.

Jalil Abbas Jilani was expelled from New Delhi on February 8 after being accused of passing money to Kashmiri separatists and Pakistan followed suit by asking Sudhir Vyas to leave Islamabad the same day.

Announcing Mr. Jilani's expulsion, India had stated that it did not want to further downgrade the level of diplomatic representation and was ready to give a visa to a new Deputy High Commissioner.

India recalled its High Commissioner from Islamabad in December 2001 after the attack on the Parliament House complex and sent back the Pakistani High Commissioner after the Kaluchak killings in May 2002.

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