Zoo Station

According to several news sites, Pakistan has just announced a visa-on-arrival scheme for Indian tourists. I am still trying to figure out where the joke lies, but it seems like there is none and the Pakistan tourism minstry is serious about this. Good for Pakistan. It also is a fantastic opportunity for many more Indians to take in stuff like Mohenjo-Daro, Taxila, Anarkali Bazaar etc, not to mention K2 and the Karakoram ranges in general. I certainly hope a lot of Indians take advantage of this opportunity not just to see the fabled sites of the old Indian civilizations, but also to build the vital people-to-people bridges. The unfortunate part is that I am not sure India can reciprocate on the visa issue, given the terrorist violence that emanates from Pakistan currently.

Nonetheless, as I have harped on this blog several times, I think it would be fantastic if India would unilaterally dismantle all visa controls on all countries bar Pakistan and Bangladesh. I personally find it embarassing that even the Chinese have relented and it's much easier for an Indian to visit China than vice-versa. Visas belong to an earlier time and the potential upside in the tourism/business sector alone should be reason enough for unilateral steps in dismantling the mother of all non-tariff trade barriers.