Friday, September 30 2005 14:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Setting the stage for the four-day visit of External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh to Pakistan, Government today (Sept 30, 2005) approved a slew of measures to push the peace process, including further liberalisation of the consular and visa services.

The time-frame for consular services would be made available within a span of three months and the list of prisoners will be exchanged by the two countries twice a year, January one and July one, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters here after a 90-minute meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Under the earlier provisions, no time frame had been specified for exchanging the list of Indian and Pakistani prisoners lodged in jails in each other's country.

The liberalisation of consular facilities would require an amendment to a 1982 Indo-Pak accord which will be signed during Singh's visit, Mukherjee said.

On the visa issue, further liberalisation would take place with regard to another previous agreement between the two countries which will be applicable to people coming for medical treatment, Mukherjee said.

The minister said a 1974 Protocol signed by the two countries would also be amended to facilitate visits by pilgrims to shrines in each other's country.

Singh will leave on Sunday (Oct 2, 2005) for talks with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on the entire gamut of bilateral ties covering a comprehensive review of the Composite Dialogue process. He will also travel to Karachi before returning on October 5.

The CCS meeting was also attended by the External Affairs Minister, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Home Minister Shivraj Patil.