India-Pakistan Joint Business Forum meeting tomorrow

NEW DELHI, Oct 9: Business representatives of India and Pakistan will discuss ways to enhance cooperation in sectors like textile and automobile during a meeting here tomorrow.

For the second meeting of the India-Pakistan Joint Business Forum, a 17-member Pakistani delegation has already reached here, Pakistan High Commission said in a statement.

“The forum will meet on sectors including textile, agriculture, automobile and pharmaceuticals,” it said.

The first meeting was held in June at Islamabad. The forum has been tasked to identify the problems faced in cross-border trade and to come up with recommendations.

The two-day meeting is likely to be co-chaired by Bashir Ali Muhammad from Pakistan and Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman of Hero Corporate Services, from Indian side.

During the first meeting, it was decided by both the sides to form groups on sectors like agriculture, automobiles, engineering and IT to increase bilateral trade and investment.

Besides Munjal, other members from the Indian side include SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry President Vikramjit Sahney, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises, and Deepak Amitabh, Chairman of PTC India.

Taking forward the process of normalisation of trade, Pakistan has shifted from a positive list-based trade regime to a limited negative list.

Pakistan has missed a December 31, 2012, deadline to end a negative list regime for trade and give Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India. India granted MFN status to Pakistan in 1996.

Currently, trade between India and Pakistan stands at USD 2.5 billion. (AGENCIES)

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