Road to normalisation of Pakistan-India relations was only through trade and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry could play a vital role in this respect.
Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale stated this during a meeting with Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Senior Vice-President Almas Hyder here on Wednesday.
The envoy said there was no better way of improving bilateral relations than mutually beneficial economic ties. He said the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) intended to organise a trade show in collaboration with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) at Lahore’s Expo Centre.
He said the Indian government had recently commenced multiple visas for three years exclusively for businessmen. “This includes visit of 15 Indian cities exempted for police reporting. Moreover, the businessmen could travel to India by road and return via air,” he said of the visas.
LCCI Senior Vice-President Hyder on the occasion said that traders were facing various issues which were hampering trade and economic activities between the two countries. He however held the view that bilateral trade would get a considerable boost in years to come.
He said a regular exchange of delegations from both sides would greatly impact the normalisation of trade and economic relations between Pakistan and India. He said opening trade with India would present countless opportunities to both the countries. Currently, he said, the non-tariff barriers being faced by Pakistani exporters were creating enormous problems and proposed the two countries opened Consulate offices in Lahore and Amritsar for speeding up the process of visa endorsement.
