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Punjab seeks greater border trade with
Pakistan
Sunday September 23, 2012 05:25:09 PM,
Jaideep Sarin,
IANS
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Chandigarh: With trade
between India and Pakistan growing steadily since 2007 when trucks
from either side were allowed restricted access to the other
country, Punjab now wants to open up border trade with its
neighbours in a big way.
Traders in Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab want greater
flexibility, particularly through the land route.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has also been batting
for more trade through the Attari-Wagah land route, besides
supporting opening of more trade routes like Hussainiwala and
Fazilka and people-to-people exchange programmes.
This week, Punjab Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh in fact accompanied
an Indian delegation to Pakistan that was headed by Commerce
Secretary S.R. Rao.
"If the trade is expanded through the land route, it will herald a
new era of economic development. Opening of these border trade
routes is the need of the hour," Badal recently said.
The 553-km-long border between India and Pakistan has been fenced
with barbed wire and electrified to keep at bay terrorists and
smugglers allegedly supported by Pakistan.
The Attari-Wagah border gate is the only point in Punjab where
restricted movement of people and goods is allowed by both the
countries.
The opening of an integrated check post (ICP) by India in April at
Attari has raised the expectation of the trading community that
the trade between the two countries would increase in coming
times.
Pakistan has already announced that India would be granted most
favoured nation (MFN) status by the end of this year.
At present, 137 items, including fruits, vegetables, livestock,
cement, gypsum, dry fruits and paper are being traded through the
land route - far smaller compared to the 6,000 items allowed to be
traded between the two countries through the Mumbai-Karachi sea
route.
"If trade of other items is allowed through the land route, which
is much cheaper and financially viable, it will benefit the people
on both sides," Amritsar-based trader Sukhwinder Singh said.
The new ICP, spread over nearly 120 acres and built at a cost of
about Rs.150 crore, has state-of-the-art facilities with dedicated
terminals for cargo and passengers. The ICP has integrated the
services of immigration, customs, cargo and handling of trucks.
Trade between India and Pakistan is nearly $2.5 billion and is
expected to go up 10 times with Pakistan initiating the process to
accord MFN status to India.
As it is, India-Paksitan trade via third countries is estimated at
$10 billion.
(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)
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