LAHORE: Pakistan and India have shown their readiness to upgrade infrastructure on both sides of the border and remove red tape and technical barriers to trade from the Indian side, the top New Delhi envoy to Islamabad has said.
Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan TCA Raghawan said this while exchanging views with Pakistani businessmen of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and they discussed at length the issues being faced by the two countries in improving trade that has remained stagnant for the last three years, The News reported yesterday.
Raghawan said that the relations between the two countries have improved. He cited the recent successful visit of the Pakistani Punjab chief minister to India, increasing people-to-people contacts between the two countries and close interaction between the businessmen on both sides as evidence of better ties.
“Trade between the two countries was virtually insignificant till 2003 when the sharp focus of the diplomats of the two countries was political issues,” he said, adding that trade was given importance in 2007.
To resolve these issues, India and Pakistan have agreed to arrange periodic meetings of the Customs officials. It has also been decided that the Railways authorities from the two countries will regularly interact to ensure smooth and adequate supply of rail wagons for transportation of goods, he said.
The two sides should also establish cold storage facilities at border posts, he said, adding that containerised exports will enhance the trade volume between the two countries.
INTERNEWS
