Opposing trade with India, chairman of 'The Founders' group in the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Pervez Hanif, has said that it would not only spoil domestic manufacturing sector but would also harm local trade as a whole in the long run.
In a statement issued here on Wednesday he said that it is an open secret that Pakistan's pharmaceutical, engineering and consumer industries would stand nowhere "in case we lift barriers in trade" with India.
"We must not forget the ground realities, like advantage of large consumer base and economy of scales, which the Indian manufacturing sector is enjoying," he said.
Pervez, who is also a former president of LCCI, said that a compact and concerted study was conducted at LCCI during his tenure over 'Trade with India' and it was proved, with facts and figures, that trade with India was not at all in Pakistan's favour.
He said that the ruling group in the LCCI seems to be over-enthusiastic about trade with India despite the fact that in the past they had been torchbearers of anti-India sentiment, what to say about establishing trade links with India.
"This move was nothing but to enjoy some official protocol during the Indian visits at the cost of domestic industry and trade," he said referring to the recent visit of 72-member LCCI delegation to India.
He claimed that Pakistan's manufacturing sector is yet to survive the threat posed by inflow of Chinese goods.
Opening of gates for Indian products would definitely double this impact, thus causing closure of a number of domestic manufacturing units especially in the consumer products.
He hoped that policy makers would take the real business leadership into confidence before taking any decision on this delicate issue.
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