“We want to build bridges of confidence and trust which is imperative to promote two-way trade between the two countries,” Sharma told a news conference in New Delhi ahead of his visit to Pakistan.
Sharma will be leaving for Lahore on Monday, via the Wagah border, to take part in a three-day ‘India Show’ and hold trade talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Makhdoom Amin Fahim. The visit comes in the wake of a recent rapprochement between the two countries and signs of warming in their fractious relations.
An array of legal and regulatory barriers has restricted official exchanges to $2.7 billion but Sharma said he was hopeful the sum would jump in the coming years.
“We hope to double this figure in a three-year period. Once direct trade through (the) land route is facilitated, there will be a manifold increase,” said Sharma, who will head a 120-strong delegation of business leaders and officials.
At present, Pakistan maintains a list of 1,945 items allowed to run from India to Pakistan, only 108 of which can be trafficked directly by road through Wagah.
Pakistan granted India ‘Most-Favoured Nation’ status last year, paving the way for a radical reorganisation of trade. In 1996, India had granted Pakistan a similar status, intended to remove discriminatory higher pricing and duty tariffs.
Sharma said Pakistan had shown the willingness to move “towards a regime which deepens and diversifies our trade,” and India, on its part, was working towards visa reforms. Deepening economic engagement is seen as crucial to establishing lasting peace between the two neighbours.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2012.
COMMENTS (21)
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Honorable Minister Excellency Mr. Anand Sharma welcome to Pakistan. Bilateral trade cooperation with reciprocal trade concessions, agreements are very encouraging. From tea to transport co-operation our need to reform our transport sector, as trucking, railways, and from tea which is consumed in very home in Pakistan can bring a welcoming drink to Pakistan. Similarly in reference to value added products of commodities, and services of ICT and the opportunities can be mutually agreed between the governments of both India and Pakistan. I hope your visit will open new vistas of friendship, co-operation between the two countries. God bless us all.
@gp65: Your thoughts are right. but, there are agnostic,apostate people who are not hating "hindoo" and India. I hope their number grow in countries like Pakistan and others in middle east.
It is unclear why India continues to make these overtures when Pakistan clearly does not live up to its end of the bargain! I have nothing against th avergage Pakistani but teh average Pakistani's hatred towards India is palpable (there are of course a few exceptions). I say - protect our borders from the jihadists they try to push intou our country and just leave Pakistan alone. We wish them no harm but friendship is not possible with a people who are taught from school to hate Hindus and do jehad.
if majority of pakistani people don't want to trade with us, then what the hell this anand shama is going to do there. leave pakistanies alone. lets them eat grass. at least they will become vegetarian by this good practice God willing.
@Babloo: Isolation and not normalization should be India’s policy for dealing with Pakistan. History teaches us that absolutely nothing good will come of any engagement.
I totally agree with you and think the same about your nation,India. It is waste of time for Pakistan as well. Pakistanis will never going to accept anything until Hindu Regime do not change its Regional State Terrorism Policy and stop interfering in other nation's affairs, such as AGARTALA SAAZISH 1971, TAMIL TIGERS, BALOCH TERRORIST TRAINING AND FINANCING, KASHMIR GENOCIDE OF MUSLIMS. Hindu Regime must give up these terrorist policies before even coming to Pakistan. It is futile effort. Until they back of from Hindu State Sponsored Terrorism, they are going to get zero support in Pakistan. Keep wasting your time. Nothing will happen. That's why stay on your side of the borders and leave Pakistabni alone. They have absolutely no desire to have any kind of relationship with India.
@Indian: true, but its not EDUCATED, its just literate. education is more then literacy.
@Indian: And indians got more shiv sinaized stop trolling
Will he be attending Difa-e-Pakistan.
Isolation and not normalization should be India's policy for dealing with Pakistan. History teaches us that absolutely nothing good will come of any engagement.
@American: You are not really American as your tone telling me that you are old Pakistani who is still living in perceptions AND do not liek to call Pakistani. For education, economy and other problems we just need good leadership which after Quid-i-Azam we never had.
@American: Paksitan had everything till 80s and then its American Afghan War which has been having since 1977 destroyed Pakistan. Even Korea took Paksitan Economic model in 60s and theya re now leading Asian country.
As far India is concern and they have occopied Kashmir Killing of 100,000 young people and also rapped over 80,000 Kashmiri womens and also now nicking Pakistan's share of water which is bigger and grave problem now.
Nero fiddles while the country burns. Yes, solve Kashmir first, stop indian proxy war in Balochistan and stop using Afghanistan as base to attack Pakistan. India needs to clean its hands from all these terrorist activities against Pakistan to create trust and a clean handshake in order to move forward. India cannot badmouth and backstab Pakistan and at the same time shake hands. Nevertheless, personally, the Indian commerce minister seems to have good intentions, but he is just one person.
@Ambreen Forget it. First have control over FATA and North Wazirstan and most importantly since you people care about self determination of Kashmiris. Conduct plebiscite in Balochistan and be an example so that we can follow up on Kashmir. You people are doing same mistake as in 1971.You don't want to see another country carved out of Pakistan.
@PeaceMan: I see it differently. Country that sponsored State Terrorism for no apparent reason in the Region is not fit for trade. If China is doing trade , it is doing from the point of view of Advantage of the size of its economy. I don't think it's the situation between India and Pakistan. Therefore, only items necessary for trade is fine with India. Rather I would urge to get involved in trade with Pakistan's own size economies and that's towards the west not East. Once those market strengthens and stabilize Pakistan Trade , there can be trade of very few items from India.Pakistan can not follow the example of China trade with India due to it's size and strength. Therefore first westwards economies must converge and then any question if limited trade with India but not until India stops terrorism in Balochistan. India had been doing it for a very long time. Trained Mukti Bahni for years and Tamil Tigers as well. If I am to decide , I will never open trade route to such a terrorist nation.
@Ambreen, Pakistan needs Trade with India to fix its awful economy. It is for you to decide, whether you want to link Kashmir issue with everything else, stay poor and continue begging for money from rest of world or improve economy, become stable and then peacefully negotiate with India on Kashmir. But if you have decided to continue harping on Kashmir then god save Pakistan.
@Anon: Hasan Nisar once said, when you had the strength, you were the sheriff from Spain to Indonesia. Later it was the European's turn. Now it is America. Who knows, who comes next ? Maybe China and/or India. Maybe some one else. As Hasan said..."rona kis baat ka ?" Instead, you should be solving your problems and attempt to gain strength through education, industry, skills, economy, science and technology. Haven't you already lost 3 generations, harping on useless issues like Kashmir, Khilafat, and Ummah? Do you want to spend 1000 years eating grass ?
@American Pot calling kettle black? Seems like Americans live in a perceptual state of being the world's sherrif ever since the Europeans called for them to help in world war one.
@Ambreen: Trade -- Kashmir -- economy -- jobs -- politics -- religion -- prosperity -- unity -- faith - education - health -- polio eradication -- justice Pakistanis want an ideal world everything is solved at once. By linking one to another, you got none of them for over 64 years. Its time to be practical and solve what can be solved first...and reduce the number of remaining things.
Solve kashmir dispute first and then talk about trade