According to newspaper reports, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma has favoured enhancement of trade between Pakistan and India, saying he will try his best to push both the governments to resolve their bilateral issues at the earliest. He says that there is immense potential to save huge transportation costs and time if more and more trade is done between the two countries through land route via Wagah Border. Indian businessmen had invited the US diplomat in a border town on the Indian side of Punjab to inform him about their concerns and find a possible solution to enhance trade between Pakistan and India through the land route.
According to an Indian businessman, the economic destinies of Pakistan and India are interlinked, but bilateral trade between the two countries is below $3 billion, which has the potential to touch $10 billion in the next few years. He says that the economies of the two countries are complementary to each other and its highly imperative that Pakistan at least declare the negative list of a few important items and thus allow import of the rest of items from India. He says that though India has granted the Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan, Islamabad has only created a positive list of importable goods from India. He says that if Pakistan wants to protect particular industries, it should create a ‘negative list’ of those items and allow export of rest of items from India to Pakistan.
The United States has always favoured a peaceful solution to problems between Pakistan and India. However, it is more tilted toward India than Pakistan as it has signed a civil nuclear agreement with India, but refused to sign the same agreement with Pakistan. India is getting more close to the United States in the field of business and trade, but puts all pressure on Pakistan in the name of the war of terror. Anyway, suggestion of enhanced trade between Pakistan and India is positive and there is a need to activate regional bloc, SAARC, for the benefit of the people in the region. The two countries are standing at the position of 1947 and have refused to forget the bitter past. India is a big country and it should show leniency and soften its stand on the thorny issues which are the main hurdle in the enhancement of trade between the two countries. The Indian leadership should also quit arrogance and try to resolve the issues with Pakistan as a good neighbour.
