The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) has said that the Indian Government should withdraw non-tariff barriers (NTBs) imposed on Pakistan to improve the bilateral trade between the two Asian neighbours.
Welcoming a 15-member team of Indian journalists, led by Mumbai Press Club president Gurbir Singh, APTMA chairman Yasin Siddik said Pakistan’s business community supports giving most-favoured nation (MFN) status to India, but the NTBs imposed by the Indian side would hamper the smooth flow of trade between the two nations.
He suggested that India should remove NTBs to make the MFN status a success.
He said in spite of India giving MFN status to Pakistan in 1996, Pakistan’s exports to India are much lower, which is a clear proof that India has not opened up its market to Pakistani goods.
In 2009-10, the bilateral trade between India and Pakistan stood at US$ 1.4 billion, of which, Indian exports to Pakistan accounted for US$ 1.2 billion, while Pakistan’s exports to India were a meager US$ 268 million, according to Mr. Siddik.
He suggested that India should open up its market to Pakistani goods in order to enhance bilateral trade and capitalize on the potential for joint business strategies, especially in the textile industry.
He said the granting of MFN status by Pakistan to India must be reciprocal to the lifting of NTBs by the Indian Government, and hence, the policymakers should take up this issue with their Indian counterparts.
He further suggested that both Pakistan and India must harmonize their customs procedures for assessing compliance with safety and quarantine standards, for which special laboratories should be set up at border crossings.
Source:
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/Association-news/aptma/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=156462
