Pakistan's High Commissioner to India Aziz Ahmad Khan said 'people-to-people' contact between Pakistan and India would help remove misunderstandings and promote harmony between the two neighbours. Talking to leading Indian national daily 'The Hindu' during his visit to Mysore (Karnataka), he said tourism would help improve bilateral relations between the two countries.
To a question, Pakistan's envoy said the issue of tourist visas would be part of the composite dialogue between the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries.
"People-to-people contact will remove any misunderstanding and promote harmony between the two neighbours," he said.
"We don't have any agreement yet on tourist visas, but it will be a part of the agenda for the composite dialogue process," he added.
Aziz Khan, who visited the mausoleum of 16th century hero Tipu Sultan at Srirangapatna near Mysore, described the erstwhile ruler of Mysore as one of the important personalities in the sub-continent's history.
"Although there are several places of tourist importance in India, Pakistanis will want to visit Srirangapatna," he observed.
Before arriving in Mysore, Khan visited Tipu's summer palace and drove through the ruins of the Srirangapatna Fort. Later, he visited St. Philome na's Church, Mysore palace, and Lalith Mahal, which has been converted into a hotel.
When asked about the issue of visas for cricket fans during the upcoming cricket series, he said it was for his Indian counterpart in Islamabad to respond to that question.
"During the cricket series in Pakistan last year, we issued 12,000 visas for the Indian fans to watch the matches there," he added.
To a query, the High Commissioner replied that there was a scope for cooperation between the two countries in the field of information technology and related areas.