Second Indo-Pakistan Trade Fair in doldrums

Chandigarh, Nov 16: After Pakistan government's poor response to the proposed second Indo-Pak Trade Fair in Lahore, the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) has now pinned its hopes on Punjab International Trade Expo (PITEX) scheduled in February 2007.

Since there was no headway towards the next Indo-Pak Trade fair after first such event in Amritsar last year, the Chamber has now initiated PITEX 2007 in Mohali in which the traders from ten Asuab countries would participate, PHDCCI Punjab Council chairman R S Sachdeva told sources here today.

''Since we (Indian traders) were denied to exhibit commodities and machinery in Lahore, the PHDCCI is now looking forward towards ASEAN nations where the atmosphere seems to be more congenial on the lines of SAFTA,'' Mr Sachdeva said.

The countires to participate in PITEX 2007 include China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Not hopeful of the second Indo-Pak Trade Fair, as committed by the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry during the Amritsar event in December 2005, Mr Sachdeva said the Pakistan government had given permission to the Indian traders to display pamphlets only. ''Exhibiting commodities and machinery in each others' country will encourage the Indo-Pak bilateral trade but simply going there with pamphlets looks cosmetic,'' he said.

Nearly 40 exhibitors from Pakistan and 280 from different states of India had participated in the Ist Indo-Pak Trade Fair at Amritsar last year when PHDCCI had also signed an MoU with the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) to make it an annual feature to strengthen the bilateral trade.

The big entrepreneurs in Islamabad and Karachi, representing FPCCI, were awaiting their visas to visit Delhi and Punjab, looking at the prospects of their participating in IPEX 2007 now, he said.

UNI