Chandigarh, Feb 20, 2013, (PTI):
Journalists from India and Pakistan today urged upon their respective governments to introduce special visas for scribes, allowing them to travel freely in either country with minimum visa restrictions.
At a conference here, it was agreed between Lahore and Chandigarh Press Clubs that contact between the journalistic fraternity of the two neighbours must continue and regular exchange of media delegations must ensue.
The fifth Panj Darya Media Conference hosted by the Chandigarh Press Club here, in which 32 journalists from Pakistan under the banner of Lahore Press Club participated, appealed to both governments to liberalise travel rules for journalists by issuing special visas and ensuring free flow of information and ideas between scribes of the two nations.
Both Press Clubs appealed to the Indian and Pakistani governments to facilitate and encourage training for media personnel and journalism students.
Thirty-two journalists including three women scribes from Pakistan are currently on a visit to India.
Both the Press Clubs also passed a resolution at the conference, vowing to work towards strengthening relations between the two nations and also removing "misconceptions," besides agreeing on exchange programmes for budding journalists.
Addressing the gathering, Lahore Press Club president Arshad Ansari said that the media has to play a "positive role" and ensure that friendly relations prevail between the two nations.
"We should put pressure on our governments not to issue city-specific visas. Visas issued to journalists should be given for India and Pakistan and not limited to few cities. It should be for multiple days and scribes should also be permanently exempted from mandatory police reporting," he said.
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