New Delhi: Pakistani businessmen travelling to India for the first tme who can bring in business of at least Rs 1 crore can now be eligible for the Saarc India Business Card.
The card allows all Saarc business travellers multiple entry into India for three years.
The government has fixed the criteria for Pakistanis to avail of the business traveller card based on the value of business they can bring into India.
Those Pakistani businessmen who have already travelled on a business visa to India have got some relaxation; the total value of their business should exceed Rs 50 lakh in the preceding financial year to make them eligible to hold the card.
After various security concerns were flagged by Intelligence agencies on extending relaxed entry facilities to Pakistanis, New Delhi set conditions for eligibility and decided to issue the business cards to Pakistanis only “along with the visa”. This facility will only be given to those Pakistani nationals whose annual income is not less than Pakistani rupees 10,00,000.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh has given approval and the cards will come into force soon. It will enable hassle-free entry for all Saarc business travellers.
While the initial proposal, after it was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Nepal, was to ensure that smart cards suffice at immigration points, the cards will be in addition to visas for those travelling from Saarc countries.
