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Pakistani biz delegation to visit India
Islamabad, June 29: A 150-member Pakistani business delegation will leave on Tuesday on a nine-day visit to India to explore the possibility of boosting trade ties between the two countries.
Islamabad, June 29: A 150-member Pakistani business delegation will leave on Tuesday on a nine-day visit to India to explore the possibility of boosting trade ties between the two countries.
The delegation, led by leading businessman and MP Ilyas Ahmed Bilour, will participate in the third two-day meeting of India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI), to be held in New Delhi from July 7.
Most delegation members will fly out from Karachi and Lahore via Dubai, while those holding SAARC visa will travel by road from Lahore to New Delhi.
The Indian high commission in Islamabad has liberally issued visas to all businessmen who desired to join the delegation. None of them would have to report to the police after arrival, a routine necessity for visiting Pakistanis.
Hectic efforts are on to make the IPCCI meeting a success amid signs of an improvement in the relations between India and Pakistan.
Currently, trade relations between India and Pakistan are restricted to select items.
For instance, Pakistan imported sugar, onion and potatoes in large quantities from India in 1996-97, but in 1997-98 this trend reversed. Similarly, Pakistan's exports to India grew by 10 percent in 1997-98 due mainly to bulk export of sugar to India.
However, the balance of trade has all along remained in favour of India.
During 1999-2000, exports from Pakistan stood at $53.65 million, whereas exports from India were to the tune of $127.40 million.
Pakistani businessmen feel that bilateral trade should be liberalised in phases, so that domestic industries get some time to compete with Indian goods.
"Liberalisation of trade between India and Pakistan should be linked with the liberalisation of import policy of India," says Mohib Motiwala, a leading Pakistani businessman who is part of the delegation.
He said that the private sectors of Pakistan and India were keen to establish long-term business relations, and IPCCI provides them the right forum to make their dreams a reality.
It was reassuring, he said, that Pakistan and India took a joint stand against the proposals on trade in farm products submitted by the European Union to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva.
Bureau Report
The delegation, led by leading businessman and MP Ilyas Ahmed Bilour, will participate in the third two-day meeting of India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI), to be held in New Delhi from July 7.
Most delegation members will fly out from Karachi and Lahore via Dubai, while those holding SAARC visa will travel by road from Lahore to New Delhi.
The Indian high commission in Islamabad has liberally issued visas to all businessmen who desired to join the delegation. None of them would have to report to the police after arrival, a routine necessity for visiting Pakistanis.
Hectic efforts are on to make the IPCCI meeting a success amid signs of an improvement in the relations between India and Pakistan.
Currently, trade relations between India and Pakistan are restricted to select items.
For instance, Pakistan imported sugar, onion and potatoes in large quantities from India in 1996-97, but in 1997-98 this trend reversed. Similarly, Pakistan's exports to India grew by 10 percent in 1997-98 due mainly to bulk export of sugar to India.
However, the balance of trade has all along remained in favour of India.
During 1999-2000, exports from Pakistan stood at $53.65 million, whereas exports from India were to the tune of $127.40 million.
Pakistani businessmen feel that bilateral trade should be liberalised in phases, so that domestic industries get some time to compete with Indian goods.
"Liberalisation of trade between India and Pakistan should be linked with the liberalisation of import policy of India," says Mohib Motiwala, a leading Pakistani businessman who is part of the delegation.
He said that the private sectors of Pakistan and India were keen to establish long-term business relations, and IPCCI provides them the right forum to make their dreams a reality.
It was reassuring, he said, that Pakistan and India took a joint stand against the proposals on trade in farm products submitted by the European Union to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva.
Bureau Report