Business

Promoting exhibitions: Faisalabad, Delhi to bridge trade gap

Both countries will benefit from each other’s products.

Imran Rana March 26, 2015

The industrialists underscored the need for direct trade and set up a joint task force for holding exhibitions in Faisalabad and Delhi to promote their products. STOCK IMAGE

FAISALABAD: Despite the halt in trade talks between Pakistan and India, traders from both sides are endeavouring to bolster business ties through holding fairs and exhibitions.

The cities of Faisalabad and New Delhi will take the first step towards business-to-business contact and facilitation. Industrialists from both major cities have agreed to organise exhibitions for the other side’s products. The understanding was reached during a visit of Pakistani industrialists to India. They have identified textiles, information technology and chemicals as potential areas of cooperation.

A 20-member delegation from Faisalabad recently concluded a seven-day visit to India, which according to the industrialists, was a successful trip. They had meetings with their Indian counterparts at the Delhi and Amritsar chambers besides a series of meetings with leading Indian industrialists, importers and exporters.

The industrialists underscored the need for direct trade and set up a joint task force for holding exhibitions in Faisalabad and Delhi to promote their products.

At present, the textile sector of Pakistan is importing chemicals from China, Europe and Turkey. It was agreed that India could provide high-quality substitutes at cheaper prices.

On the other hand, India could be a big market for the Pakistani textile sector as it can fetch millions of dollars for the national economy by exporting lawn fabric that has high demand in India.

Currently, Pakistani businessmen are exporting fabrics and garments to major markets of Europe, USA and Australia and regional cooperation will help lift this industry, said Nadeem Allahwala, an industrialist.

On the other hand, the India’s IT sector has a huge potential in Pakistan. Faisalabad, which is in the process of establishing the country’s largest industrial estate, can import heavy machinery from India to install new units.

Nadeem lamented that both the nations are not ready to trust each other, which is the biggest obstacle in the way of normalising relations.

trade.Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2015.

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COMMENTS (2)

Aftab Baloch | 9 years ago | Reply Forget the governments and politics - foster business to business, and people to people contacts and cooperation. Let the two Punjabs cooperate for cultural programs and cross border industrial projects. Make it simple for Sindhi businessmen and families in India to come visit and invest Pakistan. Grant East Punjabis automatic 72 hour visas at the Wagah border. Grant 72 hour visas to foreigners at Wagah too - to encourage tourism in both Lahore and Amritsar because Amritsar is not a top-tier destination in India, but with the addition of Lahore it easily could be. Let Indian goods transit through Pakistan to Iran/Afghanistan, while our trucks cross their territory to Nepal and Bangladesh. The people of India and Pakistan can be friends without our governments and hardcore nationalists interfering - let the governments quarrel while we prosper together.

abdulrauf akhtar | 9 years ago | Reply No more trade until kashmir is resolved .

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