Pakistan and India principally agreed on Thursday to expand trade volume between the traders on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) to strengthen the already existing trade and social bonds between the two countries.
The decision was taken in a meeting of Pakistan-India joint working group held to discuss cross-LoC Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) in Islamabad.
An official statement released by the foreign office without giving much details of the meeting said, “The meeting of Indo-Pak working groups was held in a cordial and constructive atmosphere.”
The statement read that the two sides reviewed the progress since the last meeting of the joint working group and discussed measures that would help in resolving issues pertaining to trade, travelling and visits from both sides across LoC and friendly exchange of the delegations from different walks of life.
For the talks, Pakistani delegation was headed by Zehra Akbari, Director General (South Asia) Ministry of Foreign Affairs while the Indian side was led by Y K Sinha, Joint Secretary (PAI) Ministry of External Affairs.
Experts View
According to the experts in Islamabad, Cross-LoC trade is facing immense difficulties due to many reasons mainly, visa procedures and lack of proper communication facilities between the two sides. They opined that the desired results of the negotiations would not be achieved by India and Pakistan without making the said CBMs more effective and reachable.
Welcoming the decisions on expansion in trade between India and Pakistan, Pakistan’s foreign office officials said, efforts for an unwavering environment of peace and stability through sustained dialogue and bilateral visits not only on state level but also civil society, media, judiciary and on other levels are required.
Former Pakistani envoy Asif Izdi said, “visit of Indian Premier Manmohan Singh to Pakistan and resumption of cricket diplomacy would help in enhancing stability in the bilateral dialogue, and would also expedite progress on stumbling issues between the two.”
Talking about disputes that are getting much prolonged between the two countries, former foreign secretary Shamshad Ahmad declared the Jammu and Kashmir the only bone of contention and stressed that it requires the implementation of existing CBMs in the undecided territory in letter and spirit, and should be expanded further.
Water dispute
Commenting on water specific disputes, other experts in the capital suggested that both India and Pakistan should continue to work within the outline of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) and recommended more meetings between the Indus Water Commissioners than the one obligatory meeting once in a year. Declaring media imperative for the normalisation of ties between Pakistan and India experts suggested that both the governments should use media as a vital tool to get the relationship back on track as it could prove itself as an impartial and well-informed bridge between the two.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2012.
COMMENTS (12)
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@HRK: see the diamond watch gifted by ISI to syed Gilani...........you will better know the killings of kashmiri pandits
@Ghaznavi: we have also not forgotten somnath,Direct Action day,raping of sikhs and hindus during partion, invasion of kashmir(as irregulars in 1947,1965) killing of bengalis, supporting khalistanis,back stabbing of Kargil........we have to avenge the killing of kashmiri pandits by u r financed terrorist..............and also baloch killings.who wants peace with u
@HRK: Yes we might be doing what you are saying. Saying and proving are two different things in life. Let us take it for granted all the horrors taking place in Pakistan are Indian made. What is wrong with it. This has only started in the past 2-3 years whereas we have been on the receiving end for the past 60+ years.
@Anyways: Try to find out about the meeting of RAW chief with Brahamdagh Bugti in New Delhi and Afghanistan that was followed by a blast in Indian Embassy in Kabul a couple years ago. You'll stand corrected and will know that you are actually doing things like that.
@Malangi: We do not have to do anything like that. Your good snakes are doing it onto your self’s everyday without India's help. As for shooting, we do not follow that, only barbarians do that. We in India capture them and feed the best of Hyderbadi biryani.
please do it but you can't finish our 1.2billion population by way killing few hundred people because 3 indian babies born for every miniutes.
Both countries should strive for peace otherwise the cliche so far which seems true for
LOC= "love of Cricket".
Beware of Hindu Terrorists Like Sarbjit Singh and Hindu State sponsored RAW terrorist Col. Prohit. We do not want Col. Prohits here to plant more bombs than these Hindu terrorists are already doing in Pakistan. Shoot them on the spot if captured.
india pakistan trade can never be in pakistan's favour.
@Ghaznavi I think you live in a reverse universe where everything happens opposite to our universe
Can't believe this news, which is too good to be true.
Pakistani's memory is longer than Indian's. While India has forgotten everything before Bombay attack, we still remember India's role in instigating terrorist activities in Pakistan since last 65 years. We still remember how millions were butchered by Mukti Bahini which was armed, trained, financed by Indians. Indian army regulars posing as mukti bahini rebels instigated these killings.
We still have to avenge this blood of innocents and of the blood of hundreds of thousands of innocent kashmiris killed by Indian army. Until that time there will be no peace.