ISLAMABAD: Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal said on Tuesday that India and Pakistan had decided to ease visa restrictions.

He said that high-level delegations of the two countries had held successful talks here on June 2-3 and the next round to be held in August in New Delhi could mark the beginning of a new era in relations.

Speaking at a lunch hosted by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry for Rajinder Kumar Sharma, the outgoing commercial counsellor, Mr Sabharwal said: “We have reached a conclusion that bilateral trade is the best tool to melt the ice. It is the most effective confidence-building measure.”

He said Pakistan’s trading community had long been pushing for improved relations with India, but these efforts reached new heights during the tenure of FPCCI President Senator Haji Ghulam Ali. “We will continue to facilitate Pakistan’s business community with an aim to boost trade which will be a win-win situation for the two countries.”

In his welcome address, Haji Ghulam Ali said the only way to reduce tensions and promote good neighbourly ties was to increase trade.

He praised R.K. Sharma and said he had worked hard during his three-year tenure to bring people of Pakistan and India closer. “His services will be long remembered.”

He expressed the hope that Mr Sharma’s successor Arvind Saxena would also work for improving ties with Pakistan’s business community.