Trade with India: KCCI for liberalisation of visa regime

MoU signed to establish the Bombay-Karachi Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry, promote bilateral trade.

KARACHI:

Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vice President Junaid Esmail Makda during his recent visit to New Delhi met India’s joint secretary commerce, Arvind Mehta, and exchanged views on the liberalisation of the visa regime and enhancement of bilateral trade prospects.

Makda said on Monday that the KCCI delegation held detailed discussions under his chairmanship at the Indian Commerce Ministry on enhancing trade with the help of the private sectors of the two countries. Makda led the KCCI delegation to India to “promote and strengthen bilateral trade ties” and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) to establish the Bombay-Karachi Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He said that the cooperation between KCCI and BCCI would open new avenues of growth, as both chambers would issue visa recommendation letters and exchange trade information on a regular basis.

Makda expressed his concern over the long time the Indian authorities took in issuing business visas. He said that the Indian High Commission took over three months to process a visa request.

He said that KCCI also issued visa recommendation letters to Indian businessmen who wanted to visit Pakistan at the request of their Pakistani partners who belonged to KCCI. He said that the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued business visas within a week.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th,  2011.