Kathmandu: SAARC countries Tuesday began discussing visa liberalisation within the member states, a top official said.
The discussion was held at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat in Kathmandu.
The SAARC visa exemption scheme was launched in 1992 after leaders at their fourth summit in Islamabad in December 1988 realised the importance of having people-to-people contact among the member countries.
They decided that certain categories of people should be entitled to a special travel document that would exempt them from visas within the region.
Currently the list includes 24 categories, including dignitaries, judges of higher courts, parliamentarians, senior officials, businessmen, journalists and sportsmen.
The fifth SAARC summit held in November 1990 in the Maldives decided to launch the visa exemption scheme.
A meeting of immigration authorities in Male in September 2012 recommended the convening of the Core Group of Immigration and Visa Experts to consider new categories for the exemption. (IANS)
