Why in the News?
In response to the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India has announced the suspension of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES) for Pakistani nationals.
| Note: The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was founded in 1985, consisting of eight member states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. |
About the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES):
- The SVES was launched in 1992 following the Fourth SAARC Summit (1988).
- It aims to promote regional cooperation and people-to-people contact among 8 SAARC member states by allowing certain categories of individuals to travel without a visa.
- Eligible Categories: SVES covers 24 categories, including dignitaries, judges, parliamentarians, senior officials, businessmen, journalists, and sportspersons.
- Special visa stickers are issued (by each SAARC member), typically valid for one year, allowing visa-free travel within SAARC countries.
India’s Provisions under the SVES:
- Nepal & Bhutan: Citizens do not require a visa to enter India.
- Pakistani Nationals: Initially allowed for one-year multiple-entry business visas, revised in 2015 for special-category businessmen with three-year visas.
- Other Nationals: Sri Lankan nationals are eligible for an e-Tourist visa, while Indian citizens do not need a visa for Nepal and Bhutan.
| [UPSC 2016] Increasing cross-border terrorist attacks in India and growing interference in the internal affairs of several member-states by Pakistan are not conducive for the future of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation).” Explain with suitable examples.
[UPSC 2007] Consider the following statements: 1. China has the observer’s status at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. 2. India has the observer’s status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Options: (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2* (d) Neither 1 nor 2 |
Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024
