Pakistan keen on higher bilateral trade with India

Our Corporate Bureau

New Delhi, Aug 24: PAKISTAN is willing to increase trade with India and is looking at allowing imports of a number of additional Indian items.

While addressing the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), Pakistan commerce minister Abdul Razak Dawood said, “In order to achieve a level-playing field and a liberalised trade regime, there is a need to look at the tariff, non-tariff options and subsidies on both the sides and all the ingredients put in place towards achieving desired objectives.”

“The issue of most favoured nation (MFN) is pointless unless the obstacles to trade are removed. Both the sides will have to sit across the table and look into the tariff structures,” he added.

Mr Dawood assured the Indian businessmen that he would like to examine all the items which are not on the permissible list.
He said there is a need for easier availability of visas, free movement of personnel between the two countries, harmonisation of customs procedures, improvement of banking procedures, commercial trucking etc.

Mr Dawood reiterated that his country had no problem in adding more items to the list of imports from India. Indian businessmen wanting to establish their business in Pakistan would have no problem in doing so. However, there was a need for a reciprocal treatment from the Indian side as well, he added.

The Pak minister said sugar imports into Pakistan was stopped not due to any political pressure, but the decision was purely economical as Pakistan has large surplus sugar.

If we want to have an environment where Saarc becomes an effective block and we need the goods to move freely, we need to address all the political and social issues, he added.

“We have problems and we have to cross the bridge. If we cross it, then we will create a level-playing field wherein we can compete for a better future,” Mr Dawood said.