ISLAMABAD: Participants of a briefing session here on Wednesday underlined the need for enhancing trade volume with India through a liberalized trade regime.
The session was organized by PILDAT on 'Pakistan-India Trade and National Interest,' which was attended by over 50 members of the Senate and National Assembly belonging to eight political parties besides eminent experts.
Speaking on the occasion, former governor State Bank Dr. Ishrat Husain said Pakistan and India should liberalise trade with each other and address the issues on a case to case basis rather than obstructing the trade in general.
He said trade was the engine of growth in modern times and there were numerous studies to prove that Pakistani industry could not only withstand a liberalized trade with India, it could in fact benefit from access to a much larger Indian market.
He was of the view that a liberalized trade and the ensuing competition with Indian industry would help Pakistani industry to become more efficient and competitive.
Riaz Muhammad Khan, Former Foreign Secretary said that a liberalized trade regime with India did not pose a threat to Pakistan's national interest.
Shafqat Mahmood, MNA said PTI was in favor of liberalized Pakistan-India trade as it will boost the economy. Omer Ayub Khan, MNA said that his party was convinced that trade with India was important for peace and healthy relations with India.
He said generally it is said that only export is good, import is not good, but in fact import and export both are good for any country as it creates competition in local and International Markets.
Syed Naveed Qamar, MNA said PPP was strongly in the favor of liberalized trade with India and added his party felt that there was no harm in enhanced trade with India.
Earlier, Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President of PILDAT welcomed the speakers and said that Parliament and its Standing Committees were the best fora to develop consensus on the subject and hoped that this briefing would help the parliamentarians to play their rightful role in guiding the government.
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