Parents of 47 Pakistani children have so far availed free treatment facility offered by the Indian government to carry out heart surgeries on their wards, the Indian High Commission in Islamabad said on Monday.

The High Commission has also been issuing 10,000 visas per month, which apparently was the highest in the history of relations between the two countries, officials said.

More cases were in pipeline to complete the quota of 80 offered by India, the officials added.

Consular of the Visa section Deepak Kaul said the High Commission issued 10,000 visas per month which apparently was the highest.

There was steady rise of demand for Indian visas ever since the peace process began in January 2004, he said.

The visa section processed 14,000 applications per month on an average, he said, adding, visas were being given for different categories which included business, visiting as well as cultural activities and sports.

Significantly, a few students have also availed student visa announced by New Delhi for Pakistanis to study in India.

Also, there is a steady rise of people to avail medical visas to undergo treatment in Indian hospitals, he said. The High Commission recently set up special counters for medical visas.