Pakistan, India trade relations: businessmen want win-win position

Business leaders have said that they want win-win position for both Pakistan and India and they should both gain from the recent renewed and sincere efforts of the two governments for increasing bilateral trade relations.
Talking to Business Recorder here on Sunday the outgoing President FPCCI Senator Haji Ghulam Ali and Vice-President SAARC CCI Iftikhar Ali Malik said that businessmen to businessmen talks between Pakistan and India will begin immediately after arrival of the strong Indian delegation today (Monday).
"It would be our efforts that it should be a win-win situation and both countries should gain from the Most Favoured Status to India," Malik said.
Malik said Pakistan wants that there is a balance of trade and it should not be heavily tilted in favour of India. We do not want Pakistan to become a dumping ground for the Indian goods under the garb of Most Favoured Nation (MNF) mechanism, he added.
Pakistan businessmen say that though India gave MFN status to Pakistan 17 years ago, yet it imposed several non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on Pakistan which had widened the trade gap. India exported goods worth $2.33 billion to Pakistan last year while its imports from Pakistan were a mere $332 million. They say that Pakistan and Indian can raise their bilateral trade to $10 billion through trade channels but to achieve this purpose Indian should also open up its markets to Pakistan manufactured goods and facilitate the Pakistan industrialists /traders/vendors through transfer of technology, joint ventures and removal of NTBs and removal of travel restrictions.
Meanwhile, LLCI spokesman has stated that President Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) R.V. Kanoria and LCCI President Irfan Qaiser will hold a joint press briefing at 1500 hours today (Monday). They are likely to speak about the outcome of the talks between private sectors of the two countries for boosting the trade.
The Indian Commerce, Industry and Textiles Minister Anand Sharma, along with an 80-member strong delegation arrives in Lahore today for a three-day visit to interact with Pakistani industrialists/businessmen and CEOs for normalising bilateral economic/trade ties between the two neighbouring countries.
Top leaders of Pakistan Federation Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and government officials will receive the Indian delegation at the Wahga border.
The Indian Commerce Minister and his delegation will also visit Islamabad and Karachi during their three-day stay in Pakistan to boost bilateral trade between the two countries.
The Indian delegation will also visit the ongoing "India Show" here today which has been termed as a step forward to increase bilateral trade and economic cooperation.