New Delhi, Mar 19 (KNN)  Business persons from India and Pakistan today made fervent appeals to their respective governments to improve basic infrastructure like banking, telecom and border facilitations as bilateral trade is moving towards normalisation.
 
A large delegation from leading Pakistan business chambers including Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce and SAARC Business Promotion Committee among other trade bodies were present at the ‘Dialogue with trade delegation from Pakistan’ hosted by FISME and German Development Agency, GIZ.
 
Welcoming the delegation, FISME President D Gandhikumar said, “We have to break a lot of barriers and join together for strengthening manufacturing in the two countries.”
 
Raising the issue of infrastructure bottlenecks, Chairman of SME National Committee (FPCCI) Lahore, Rehmatullah Javed said, “How long can we do business through a third country like Dubai or under the table?  We have to pressurise our governments and policy makers to remove trade barriers – especially those pertaining to visa, trade routes, phones, banking, improved infrastructure at borders, inspection procedures, etc.”
 
While echoing similar sentiments, Director, Trade Links, Lahore, Anis Iqbal Dar called for a union between the two countries like the European Union to make for a stronger economic power.
 
According to reports, in a move to normalise trade between the two neighbouring countries, India has agreed to Pakistan’s demand of excluding 160 items, essentially textile products from its Pakistan-specific sensitive list.
 
Explaining the two countries are also likely to announce Non-Discriminatory Market Access on Reciprocal Basis (NDMARB) status for each other soon, Chairman, Bombay Karachi Joint Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Junaid Esmail Makda said that trade between the two countries needs to reach the full potential.
 
On the expected outcome of the dialogue, Secretary General, FISME, Anil Bhardwaj said that the representatives of both countries, SME associations, experts and scholars would chalk out an agenda which could remove trade impediments.
 
“Importance of trade between India and Pakistan cannot be overemphasised.  It has significant impact on social, political and economic dimensions of both countries,” he said.
 
The meeting is a follow up of a FISME delegation visit to Pakistan in February.  The exchange of delegation is being supported by GIZ -German International Cooperation Agency to foster greater economic integration in the SAARC region through regular interaction and exchange of stakeholders.   (KNN/ES/PC)