The Hindu : Business : India-Pakistan achieve progress on bilateral trade front

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Saturday, Aug 04, 2007
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India-Pakistan achieve progress on bilateral trade front

Special Correspondent

Liberalised visa regime soon, says Pakistan High Commissioner

FICCI outlines
six-point agenda
Sub-groups
identify irritants

— PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY

CLOSER TIES: Onkar S. Kanwar (centre), President, India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Chairman and Managing Director, Apollo Tyres, with Syed Asif Shah (left), Commerce Secretary, Pakistan, and Amit Mitra, Secretary General, FICCI, at a meeting in New Delhi on Friday.

NEW DELHI: India-Pakistan trade engagement is set for a great leap forward with the two governments zeroing on the nitty-gritties of trade. ‘Meaningful progress’ has been achieved on the shipping protocol, expansion of bilateral trade by removing non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and para tariffs, opening of two bank branches in each country, joint registration of basmati rice as GI (Geographical Indication), facilitation of cement exports from Pakistan, import of tea from India, organisation of trade shows, improvement of border infrastructure, transportation through railways, increased collaboration in export insurance, laying of optical fibre linkages and cooperation in IT-enabled medical facilities.

Reflecting great deal of optimism, Syed Asif Shah, Commerce Secretary of Pakistan, made these observations while addressing Indian business leaders at an interactive meeting organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and announced that the first tranche of cement from Pakistan would arrive in India by the year-end.

His optimism on the progress on the bilateral trade front was shared by Shahid Malik, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, as he said that “Pakistan’s proposals on visa facilitation are currently being discussed and once the proposals are accepted by the Government of India, you will witness a sea change in the visa regime.”

Mr. Shah said the two sub-groups on tariff and non-tariff barriers and customs procedures and facilitation working under the Joint Study Group have identified the irritants, which are in the nature of technical barriers, and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures and stringent standards which are impeding the growth of bilateral trade.

On the question of export guarantees, the Pakistan Commerce Secretary said: “We have asked India to share with us their export insurance procedures so that Pakistan can replicate them and thereby facilitate higher volumes of imports from India.”

Onkar S. Kanwar, President, India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce, and Past President, FICCI, outlined FICCI’s six-point agenda for intensifying economic engagement between India and Pakistan covering all trade related issues.

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