Open borders, says Pakistan's Minister

Beijing:India and Pakistan should simultaneously reduce their defence budgets, relax visa regimes and open up borders for tourism so as to promote

friendly ties and develop their economies, Pakistani Tourism Minister Nilofar Bakhtiar said on Sunday.

"The defence budget of India and Pakistan needs to be cut down. As a politician, I strongly feel that both the countries have to take a simultaneous step," she said.

"Pakistan alone cannot decrease the defence budget because the sovereignty of our country is important. It is the same for India. So, if we take the steps simultaneously, we can go a long way," Bakhtiar remarked on the sidelines of the 'Beijing International Tourism Expo 2006'.

"If the Berlin Wall can fall, why can't we do it also? Our habits and emotions are the same. We are also the only two countries in the world which react the same way in the cricket field," she said.

Pakistan’s tourism minister insisted upon strengthening the Indo-pak ties to promote harmony between the two countries.

"As the Tourism Minister, I strongly feel that if India and Pakistan open up their borders for tourists, both these countries will not need other tourists from anywhere else in the world," she said while recalling her frequent visits to India in her earlier capacity as the International Director of Lions Club International.

The Pakistani minister concluded that the two countries should relax their visa regimes to enable free flow of tourism between the two countries.