New Delhi, July 01: A Pakistani business delegation will arrive here today and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan will lead a parliamentary team in September as part of efforts to enhance people-to-people contacts. A group of MPs, who just returned from Pakistan after a week-long tour, said here today plans are afoot to send and receive delegations of artistes, judges, women, students and journalists in near future.

To begin with, a 150-member business delegation will arrive here today and a team of Pakistani MPs led by Khan will visit India in September, he said.

Pakistan Press Club is also contemplating to extend an invitation to Press Club of India through him shortly, Nayyar said.
"A window of opportunity for peace and friendship between the two countries has opened after many years" following Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's peace initiative and "we must take advantage of it," Rajya Sabha member Kuldip Nayyar, who led the delegation, told reporters.


"It is time to start a new chapter for developing good neighbourly relations," he said.
He said there was an "overwhelming desire" among common citizens in both nations that people-to-people contacts and trade relations increase and that suggestions had come for abolishing or relaxing of the visa regime for free flow of personnel and goods across the border.

Bureau Report