India and Pakistan are set to liberalize their visa policy starting from next month, according to Indo-Asia News Service Monday.

The consensus on the liberalization was reached at the foreign secretary talks in New Delhi last month. A formal agreement on the policy is expected to be signed on Jan. 13 when the foreign ministers of the two countries meet in Islamabad.

India and Pakistan also have agreed to increase the number of visa counters from the existing two to three, and plan to issue over 1,000 visas daily to business people and tourists.

Under the liberalized policy, citizens and businessmen of both countries will get a seven-day open visa with no restrictions on visiting a particular city or place. They would be allowed to move anywhere.

Tourists will be offered a 15-day visa if they visit in the form of delegations or groups. Earlier, Indian and Pakistani tourists were not given visas in groups.

India is to open a new visa counter in Lahore while Pakistan will open another in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

Now, the two countries issue visas through their consulates in Mumbai, New Delhi, Karachi and Islamabad.

Source: Xinhua