Wagah (Amritsar), July 4
A 58-member delegation of India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI) crossed over from Wagah joint check post to attend a two-day third executive committee meeting, scheduled to be held from July 7 at New Delhi. The members wanted ‘direct trade’ among the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries, including Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Maldives.
The Pakistan delegation emphasised the need to implement the declarations of SAARC summits in true spirit so as to promote trade in south Asia.
The leader of the IPCCI, Mr Ilyas Bilour, who hails from Peshawar, said that the current trade between India and Pakistan could be enhanced from $ two billion to $ five billion if it was done directly through land or rail route. He said one fourth of the world population lived in SAARC countries and there was a great potential which could be tapped for eradication of poverty in the region. He said it was a matter of concern that only 10 per cent trade between India and Pakistan was being done directly while the rest of export and import was done via other countries like Singapore, Dubai and Bangkok etc as a result of which freight charges got increased. “If Europe had got united to expand trade why not SAARC countries could come on a single platform,” he asked.
Giving details of the potential of import and export in the region, Mr Bilour said that Pakistan could export dry fruit, raw material for yarn, cotton fabrics and ternary items etc at much cheaper rates. He said Pakistan had lot to get from India which could export vehicles, engineering items, tools and medicines etc. He said Suzuki, which was available in India at the cost of Rs 2 lakh only could fetch Rs 5 lakh in Pakistan.
Mr Krishan Kalra, Additional Secretary General, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), who had arrived at Wagah joint check post to receive the Pakistan’s delegation said that during the brain-storming two-day conference of IPCCI, more potential for Indo-Pak trade could be explored. He hoped that the thaw created by the statements of Prime Ministers of both India and Pakistan would help in enhancing the import and export.
However, none of the members of Pakistan delegation came forward to discuss the issue of cross-border terrorism on the plea that they had come here on a different mission that of the permanent peace.
However, Mr Parduman Singh, Mr B.K. Bajaj, Mr Krishan Chand and many exporters of Amritsar who had also reached Wagah to receive the Pakistan delegation opined that the import and export between India and Pakistan could be increased if Samjhauta Express was de-linked from goods train. They said the land route and rail links should remain open even during tension in the region.
Mrs Fitrat Ilyas Billour, while talking to TNS said that there was lot of craze among Pakistani about Hindi films. She said many Pakistani, during their visit here visit Mumbai to meet the actors and actresses of Hindi films.
Over 100 members of IPCCI had already reached New Delhi by air. Mr Yashwant Sinha, Minister of External Affairs, would inaugurate the conference on Indo-Pak trade at New Delhi on July 7. Mr Aziz Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in India, would also address the conference. The panel of discussion on trade policy and normalisation, trade infrastructure and logistics (transportation and banking links) would also be held during the two-day
conference.
