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Bhatty granted visa

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD Feb. 18 . The see-saw of diplomacy between India and Pakistan went on the upswing today as India granted visa to Pakistani diplomat, Munnawar Saeed Bhatty, who will take over as Deputy High Commissioner in place of expelled Charge d'affaires, Jalil Abbas Jilani.

``The necessary administrative formalities granting assignment visa to Bhatty have been completed and his passport stamped with Indian visa have been handed over to him," Vikram Misri, Charge d'Affaries of the Indian High Commission, said.

The issuance of visas was a mere formality as New Delhi and Islamabad had forwarded the names of T.C.A. Raghavan (in place of expelled Sudhir Vyas) and Mr. Bhatty several weeks ago but it has a high symbolic value given the new low that the ties between the countries have touched.

However, it was not immediately clear as to when the new designated Acting High Commissioners would take charge. Indications from the Pakistan Foreign Office are that Mr. Bhatty would leave at the earliest.

On Saturday, Pakistan made it known that it is ready to give visa to a replacement for the expelled Indian Deputy High Commissioner, Sudhir Vyas, on a reciprocal basis. A Foreign Office spokesman issued a denial to the reported statement made by the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, that Pakistan had "denied" visa to Mr. Vyas's replacement.

The spokesman said the Government of Pakistan had already preferred reciprocal issuance of assignment visas to the Deputy High Commissioner designates of India and Pakistan. Reciprocal exchange of pending assignment visas within the fixed staff ceiling of 47 was also proposed. However the issue was not clinched today. The spokesman said that earlier, the Pakistan Government had proposed reciprocal exchange of pending assignment visas on February 7, 2003, and that the India Government did not respond to it.

It appears there are 18 visas pending from the Pakistan side and 13 from the Indian side. These are for the diplomats, who have either been transferred or completed their tenure.

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