Pak to allow mobile phone services with India

The Standing Committee on Commerce of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament was told by officials of the Ministry of Information Technology yesterday about the move to allow mobile phone services between the two countries.

The panel expressed displeasure at the lack of modern communication facilities between the two sides.

Commerce Secretary Munir Qureshi said the "main hitch is technical linkages between the telecom companies of India and Pakistan as they too have to get approvals from parent companies or their boards".

Several members of the parliamentary committee said security concerns in both countries too were an obvious issue.

The Dawn newspaper quoted lawmaker Sheeren Arshad Khan as

saying, "I have a sales outlet in Amritsar but one of the most

serious problems is that we only have landline between India and Pakistan."