The fate of the India-Pakistan World Twenty20 match may be uncertain, but India has decided to roll out a liberalised visa arrangement for Pakistani spectators.
Those aged above 65 and below 15 have been exempted from “reporting” at the local police station. Unlike 2012 when India and Pakistan last played a cricket match on Indian soil, India will not insist on a “return air ticket” for granting visas.
After the 2012 experience, India had decided to relax the norms as they were found too stringent. Also on the cards are multi-city short-term visas for fans. The only thing that will be looked into would be “accommodation details.” The biometric details would also be captured. “We are willing to issue multi-city visa if Pakistani fans have tickets and accommod-ation for all cities in which Pakistan is going to play,” a senior official of the Home Ministry said.
The travel document will be issued when the spectators furnish tickets of matches, return tickets for road or rail or air transport and accommodation bookings. The period of visa will also depend on the number of matches for which the tickets have been bought.
Those who have got visas for the Dharamshala match will have to approach Indian missions in Pakistan again as the venue has been shifted to Kolkata.
However, the official indicated that the number of visas would be increased if the team reached the semi-finals or the final.
