Sarabjit death: Pakistan judge may visit India Lahore: Pakistani judge Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi probing the murder of Indian death row convict Sarabjit Singh may also visit India to complete the judicial inquiry. Justice Naqvi of the Lahore High Court is investigating the death of Sarabjit who died on May 2 following a brutal assault by prisoners on April 26 within Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.

The one-man inquiry tribunal has appealed to Indian nationals having information about the matter to file written submissions with relevant documents within seven days. The Indians are required to get themselves registered with the inquiry tribunal at its official website, said Riaz Ahmed, the personal staff officer of the judge.

Ahmed said the judge might visit India in connection with the inquiry if he feels a need. The tribunal has also invited Pakistani citizens to file written submissions with relevant documents, accompanied with a copy of their Computerised National Identity Card, within seven days.

No deadline has been fixed for completing the inquiry. Five to six prisoners had brutally assaulted Sarabjit in a well-coordinated attack on April 26. After being comatose for nearly a week, Sarabjit died at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore on May 2....more    
07:23 PM, May 19, 2013

UK launches 'super-priority' visas for Indians
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London: Britain has launched a new "super priority" same-day visa service for urgent travellers from India, the first-of-of-its-kind service to be launched by the UK anywhere in the world. The Super Priority Visa Service had been announced by British Prime Minister David Cameron during his visit to the country in February, 2013. The first-of-of-its-kind service to be launched anywhere in the world by the UK Home Office is open for...  
06:35 PM, May 14, 2013

US engineers ask Senate to reject expansion of H1B visas Washington: A professional US body of engineers has asked the Senators to reject any move to increase the number of H-1B visas, popular among Indian professionals, arguing that it has a damaging effect on American economy. In a statement issued on Monday, IEEE-USA - the largest American body of professional engineers asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to reject amendments to the comprehensive immigration bill that would increase H-1B temporary visa...  
02:54 PM, May 14, 2013

India's shooting coach denied US visa for ISSF World Cup New Delhi: India's pistol shooters competing in the ISSF World Cup in Fort Benning, USA, will be without the services of coach Sayed Wajid Ali as he has been denied visa to travel for the May 4-13 tournament. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) said the US embassy is yet to give a reason for denying the government core-group coach visa. "He has been denied visa, though we don't...  
03:48 PM, May 06, 2013

Proposed US immigration bill gives preference to better educated people Washington: US immigration authorities would give preference to better-educated and trained visa-seekers who can contribute to the American economy under a less-noticed provision of the immigration bill in the US Congress. The bi-partisan bill in the US Senate would rewrite the half-century-old standards that control legal immigration to favor skills over family ties. The winners of this proposed "merit-based" system, experts say, would be primarily from Asia, particularly from India,...  
01:07 PM, May 05, 2013

Continue visa ban on Modi, says a US panel Washington: A panel in the United States has asked the government to continue its visa ban on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The panel said there was significant evidence linking Modi to the violence in Gujarat in 2002. The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its annual report has placed India in the Tier 2 Countries on religious freedom along with that of seven other countries Afghanistan, Azerbaijan,...  
06:28 AM, May 01, 2013

Indian Embassy issues fresh guidelines for OCI Washington: The Overseas Citizens of India card holders, while travelling to India, must carry the OCI booklet and their passport having 'U' visa sticker, the Indian Embassy has said. While the OCI card provides its holder a multiple entry, multi-purpose life-long visa for visiting India, in many cases its holders are required to apply for its re-issuance, including re-issuance of new passport for those below 20 and above 50. "For...  
09:22 AM, Apr 30, 2013

Sarabjit's ex-inmate says attack on him is a conspiracy by Pakistan govt

Sarabjit Singh was brutally assaulted inside Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan on Friday. ...
08:12 PM, Apr 27, 2013

Sarabjit's family gets visa, India asks Pak to explain attack on him Lahore: A day after Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh was brutally assaulted inside Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail, his family has been been granted visa to visit him in hospital. Four members of Sarabjit Singh's family have been granted visa by the Pakistan High Commission to meet the Indian prisoner. The Pakistani High Commission in Delhi also said that it will extend all possible help to facilitate their travel to Pakistan. Sarabjit's...  
03:13 PM, Apr 27, 2013

WikiLeaks claims victory in Iceland court case London: WikiLeaks has said it has secured a victory in Iceland's Supreme Court against the financial blockade imposed by Visa and MasterCard on donations for the secret-spilling site. Visa and MasterCard were among half a dozen major US financial firms to pull the plug on WikiLeaks following its decision to begin publishing about 250,000 US State Department cables in late 2010. WikiLeaks has claimed that the financial blockade led to...  
06:54 AM, Apr 25, 2013

US senator accuses TCS, Infosys, Wipro of abusing H-1B visas Washington: Amidst Congressional debate on the comprehensive immigration reform, a top US Senator has accused big Indian IT companies - TCS, Infosys and Wipro - of abusing the H-1B visa system. "There are some specific abuses of H-1B," Senator Richard Durbin, said during a Congressional hearing on immigration reform by the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, during which the lawmakers discussed threadbare the H-1B visa issues. In fact, Senator...  
01:32 PM, Apr 23, 2013

India seeks more US visas for high-skilled workers Washington: As the US moves forward to reform its immigration system, India has said that a generous American visa policy for the country's high-skilled workers would help everyone and both nations will emerge as winners. "We respectfully urge that they consider the impact of their decisions on the ability of both US and foreign-based companies to expand now and in the future," Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao wrote...  
05:53 PM, Apr 15, 2013

Congressmen urged to raise H-1B quota for Indian IT workers Washington: Observing that nearly 30 per cent of all companies started in the US in 2011 had immigrant founders, Indian IT professionals have appealed to Congressmen to not only consider increasing the H-1B quota but also quick and smooth green card for them. They told the Congressmen that the immigrant-based businesses have generated more than $775 billion in revenue for the American economy. Over the past few days, a large...  
10:55 AM, Apr 12, 2013

India has begun process of group tourist visa for Pakistanis New Delhi: Days after launching visa-on-arrival facility for senior Pakistani citizens, India has started the process of providing the 'group tourist visa' on a reciprocal basis. The 'group tourist' visa was to be launched from March 15 but it was put on hold after tension along the border following the brutal killing of two Indian soldiers. Besides, Pakistan has so far failed to send a list of authorised tour operators...  
12:27 AM, Apr 11, 2013

Relief for Pak Hindus, visas extended by a month New Delhi: A day after CNN-IBN highlighted the plight of 400 Pakistani Hindus seeking asylum in New Delhi, there may be some immediate relief in store it seems. Their visas have now been extended for a month by the Indian government. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs have indicated to CNN-IBN that the fresh batch of Pakistani Hindus in India will not be deported even though their visas have...  
07:09 PM, Apr 10, 2013

Should Pak Hindu refugees be given Indian citizenship?

Rising extremism in Pakistan is forcing Hindu families to flee the country and seek refuge in India. Their visas have expired, but the refugees are too scared to return. The Ministry of External Affairs has given them an extension of one month, but the question is whether that is enough. ...
11:44 PM, Apr 09, 2013

Pakistani Hindus seek refuge in India, refuse to return New Delhi: Rising extremism in Pakistan is forcing Hindu families to flee the country and seek refuge in India. Their visas have expired, but the refugees are too scared to return. The Ministry of External Affairs has given them an extension of one month, but the question is whether that is enough. It's a visa deadline that 20-year-old Jamuna says could turn into a death sentence for her. "I will...  
09:05 AM, Apr 09, 2013

US: Cap on H-1B visas reached; lottery to decide fate Washington: For the first time after 2008, a computerised draw of lots is going to decide on successful H-1B applicants, as a federal US agency has announced that it has received more petitions than the Congressional mandated quota on the most sought after work visas for IT professionals. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday announced that it would no longer accept applications for the H-1B visas for...  
12:00 PM, Apr 06, 2013

India lifts hold on visa-on-arrival for Pak senior citizens New Delhi: The visa-on-arrival facility for senior citizens of Pakistan, which was put on hold by India following heightened tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), has been restarted from March 31. The facility was put on hold hours before its operationalisation on January 15 after an Indian soldier was allegedly beheaded and another was brutally murdered by Pakistani army. The Wagah border is also now open for Pakistani senior...  
07:02 PM, Apr 05, 2013

Modi welcome to apply for visa, will decide case on merits: US Washington: The US has reiterated that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is welcome to apply for a visa to America and that his application would be judged on its own merits. "There is no change (in US policy)...he (Modi) is welcome to apply. All visa decisions are made on a case by case basis, and I'm not going to prejudge it here," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said. Her statement...  
12:36 AM, Apr 05, 2013