Experts suggest Pakistan govt to improve trade relations with India

Islamabad, July 8: Experts in Pakistan have suggested government to improve trade relations with India and other regional countries while weighing up all risks and benefits.

"Pakistan must weigh the risks and benefits of opening trade with India," former commerce minister and IPR chairman Humayun Akhtar was quoted as saying while participating in an event in Lahore.

The Institute for Policy Reforms and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry jointly held the seminar to discuss the pros and cons of trade with India, Dawn online reported.

Akhtar said decision on trade with India must harmonise among security, economic, and trade interests. Recently, IPR examined overall developments in South and Central Asia "and recognised that there were risks to our security."

Dr Manzoor Ahmad, adviser IPR and former Pakistan ambassador to the WTO, spoke largely in support of open trade and listed the specific risks and benefits of trade with India.

"Past studies on Pakistan-India trade overwhelmingly showed significant economic benefits for our economy," he said.

Aftab Ahmad Vohra, the head of LCCI's Pakistan-India Trade Committee, said businesses and consumers would benefit greatly by opening trade route as it would help both exports from Pakistan and imports from India.

Vohra said new security restrictions on accessing the Wagah post are a great inconvenience for passengers and traders.

Dr Hafeez Pasha, former finance minister of Pakistan, urged the government to give India access to those goods which Pakistan imported from other countries and India reciprocated in the same way by importing goods from Pakistan to strategically strengthen the trade relations.

OneIndia News