India and Pakistan are making efforts to ease the visa regime between the two countries and officials will hold further talks on the issue in August, Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal has said.
Indian officials held successful talks with their Pakistani counterparts on visa issues in Islamabad during June 2-3 and the next round of discussions has been scheduled for August in New Delhi, Sabharwal said.
Addressing a function hosted yesterday by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Sabharwal said: "We have reached the conclusion that bilateral trade is the best tool to melt the ice. It is the most effective confidence-building measure."
Pakistan's trading community has for long been pushing for improved relations with India, he noted.
"We will continue to facilitate the local business community with the aim to boost trade, which will be a win-win situation for both countries," he said.
Following a meeting of the India-Pakistan Joint Working Group on visa issues earlier this month, the two countries said they would continue discussions so that a new visa agreement could be finalised at the next meeting of their Home and Interior Secretaries.
The two sides announced that the next meeting of the Joint Working Group would take up amendments in the existing visa agreement.