Pak-India: Liberalised visa policy may take trade to $10b
Businessmen asked to import Indian coal-powered textile machinery.
FAISALABAD:
Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal has said a liberalised visa policy will help promote commercial and economic relations with Pakistan, which will take bilateral trade to $10 billion from existing $2 billion.
India would revise the 1974 visa regime soon and liberalise it for the convenience of Pakistan’s business community which would get multiple visas, he said during a visit to the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) on Wednesday.
“Frequent travellers visiting under business visa are already exempted from the condition of police reporting,” he pointed out.
The visit comes following a series of positive developments to liberalise trade between the two countries. Pakistan will grant India the most-favoured nation (MFN) status and is moving from positive to negative list of trade items which will be prepared by February. At the same time, it has asked India to remove non-tariff barriers that hamper Pakistan’s exports.
In an effort to streamline and enhance trade between the two sides, the high commissioner said work on infrastructure on the Wagha-Attari border was under way, which would be completed by February next year.
Additional reporting by Shamsul Islam
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2011.
Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal has said a liberalised visa policy will help promote commercial and economic relations with Pakistan, which will take bilateral trade to $10 billion from existing $2 billion.
India would revise the 1974 visa regime soon and liberalise it for the convenience of Pakistan’s business community which would get multiple visas, he said during a visit to the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) on Wednesday.
“Frequent travellers visiting under business visa are already exempted from the condition of police reporting,” he pointed out.
The visit comes following a series of positive developments to liberalise trade between the two countries. Pakistan will grant India the most-favoured nation (MFN) status and is moving from positive to negative list of trade items which will be prepared by February. At the same time, it has asked India to remove non-tariff barriers that hamper Pakistan’s exports.
In an effort to streamline and enhance trade between the two sides, the high commissioner said work on infrastructure on the Wagha-Attari border was under way, which would be completed by February next year.
Additional reporting by Shamsul Islam
Published in The Express Tribune, November 24th, 2011.