Fahim terms India visit successful

Delhi has agreed to support European Union duty waiver for Pakistan.

KARACHI: Terming his visit to India successful, Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim on Monday said that India had announced support for the European Union (EU) duty waiver for Pakistan in the World Trade Organisation.

Talking to reporters after his arrival at the Karachi airport from India, he expressed hope that his visit to Delhi would help boost trade between the two countries. During the visit, he said, both the sides discussed trade-related barriers and agreed to resolve them.

Replying to a question, he said both the countries had agreed to facilitate issuance of multiple business visas for one year to their business communities.

Highlighting his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, Fahim said that Singh had reiterated his government’s resolve to see Pakistan as an economically prosperous country as it was also in the interest of India.

Indian delegation to arrive in February

A 200-member high-powered Indian trade delegation, representing various sectors of economy, will visit Pakistan in February 2012 in pursuance of the initiatives taken by both the countries at public and private sector level to increase bilateral trade, said Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Vice-President Dawood Usman Jakhura on Monday.

Indian commerce minister will lead the delegation under the umbrella of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, he said while briefing media at the Federation House about the recent visit of an 80-member Pakistani trade delegation to India.

Jakhura said that both sides were confident that the present bilateral trade of $2.7 billion can be increased to $6 billion per annum in the next three years by extending maximum facilitation to trade.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 4^th, 2011.