India indifferent towards SAFTA, says SAARC business leaders

Dhaka, May 26 (UNI) Smaller trading partners in the expanding SAARC realm continued whining about apathy of the bigger player, India, to make the long-conceived South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) operational.

The fresh grievances were vented at a seminar on ''Trade Liberalisation under SAFTA'' today, as top business leaders from the eight SAARC member-countries in meetings here critically reviewed progress on introducing free trade in the region.

''After declaring positive lists in SAFTA, India sent fresh list to the border containing new lists for goods, and that is hampering trade between India and Pakistan,'' Mahmood Ahmed, a delegate from Pakistan, told the seminar.

Mr Mahmood also blamed the Indian government for ''harassing'' them (Pakistanis) in India, an allegation the Indian side at the meet denied.

''I can use my international roaming mobile anywhere in the world except India; the Indian government don't allow Pakistani banks to open their branch in India,'' he alleged.

As a way out of the deadlock over making SAFTA functional, he suggested a change in the traditional mindset based on distrust between the two neighbours.

Desal De Mel, a research officer of the Institute of Policy Studies in Sri Lanka, in his presentation blamed ''Indo-Pak paranoia for putting free trade on the backburner''.

Due to the political enmity between the two countries, SAFTA remains almost ''inactive'', he said.

''Pakistan trades with India based on a specified positive list. They have economic and political reasons for concerns about altering the status quo, and India feels positive list is against the spirit of the agreement.'' Mr Mel added.

Former commerce minister of Bangladesh Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury chaired the business session of the seminar held at Hotel Sonargaon.

SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) jointly organised the seminar, marking the 39th executive committee meeting of the SCCI held yesterday.

FBCCI Director M A Rouf mentioned that non-tariff and para-tariff barriers impeded improvement of Bangladesh's trade relation with India.

Economic and Commerce Minister D N Srivastava at the Indian High Commission here denied all allegations against India and said, ''We are here to work with you.'' More UNI