By IANS
Islamabad : India and Pakistan Friday ended their two-day talks on cultural cooperation without headway on an issue dear to New Delhi – lifting a ban on Indian films and TV channels – with Islamabad appearing none too keen.
The two sides discussed a slew of proposals for accelerating people-to-people contacts between the two countries, including proposals for promoting group tourism and increasing the number of religious shrines that pilgrims from either country can visit on the other side.
Pakistan has offered to allow Indian pilgrims to visit eight more shrines.
The liberalisation of the visa regime will be, however, discussed in detail at the forthcoming home secretary-level talks in New Delhi starting Tuesday.
The two sides also made a number of proposals for promoting cooperating in the fields of arts and culture, archaeology, sports and youth affairs, traditional system of medicine, education, information and media, tourism and visits to religious shrines, said a joint press statement at the end of the two-day talks.
The talks on the promotion of friendly exchanges, part of the ongoing fourth round of composite dialogue, was led by Culture Secretary Badal K. Das and his Pakistani counterpart Saleem Gul Sheikh.
Presently, India and Pakistan do not allow tourists from either country, but they have agreed to discuss group tourism among a set of proposals to liberalise their visa regimes.
In a significant gesture, India offered two seats for Pakistani nationals in the faculty of the Indian Hotel Management Institute and two post graduation seats in the National Institute of Unani Medicine.
Holding film festivals and closer cooperation in tackling film and music piracy were also discussed.