World Bulletin/News Desk
Pakistan and India will ease tough visa restrictions, their foreign ministers announced on Saturday, in a small step forward in ties between the two countries.
The agreement was the culmination of a visit by Indian Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna to Pakistan as part of a tentative peace process that froze after attack in Mumbai in 2008, killing 166 people.
The new pact offers eight types of visa. Pakistanis visiting India have long grumbled about New Delhi's restrictive visa regime for both tourists and businesses.
Pakistani businessmen are restricted to particular cities, so visitors cannot travel from Delhi to the nearby thriving business hub of Gurgaon without permission.
Businessmen also have to report to an Indian police station in the evenings "like a criminal", Pakistani trade official Zafar Mahmood complained in April.
Indians visiting Pakistan face similar restrictions on moving between cities.
In April, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari visited India, the first trip by a Pakistani head of state in seven years. Last year Pakistan promised India most-favored nation trading status.
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