The first-ever single-country 'Made in Pakistan' Exhibition, showcasing Pak products was inaugurated here on Wednesday by Indian Minister of Disinvestment, Information Technology and Communications Arun Shourie.
The Exhibition, hosted by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), displays various Pakistani products including textile garments, deep freezers, refrigerators, washing-machines, surgical and veterinary, gynae instruments, energy meters, leather products, glassware, pharmaceutical and consumer goods, cosmetics, jewellery, handicrafts and melamine products.
The inaugural ceremony was also addressed among others by Pakistan High Commissioner in India Aziz Ahmed Khan, Chairman Wipro and richest person of India, Azim Premji, President of FICCI Y K Modi, President of SCCI Macky Hashim, Jamil Mehboob Magoon and Tariq Sayeed.
In his inaugural address Arun Shourie said, "We are keen to see the work and progress made by Pak economy, through this exhibition."
Trade is the best way and tremendous force, which can dismantle the obstacles impeding the Indo-Pak relations. Formal trade between the two countries amounts to $ 250 million while informal or contraband trade is 12 times higher than formal trade which not only deprives the state of the revenues but also encourages unfair means of trade like smuggling instead of fostering competitive atmosphere in the trade field.
Billing the signing of Safta as a major achievement for the Saarc member countries, he observed greater trade would trim the chances of being jolted from the right path.
Pak High Commissioner Aziz Khan said more than 100 companies were exhibiting Pak products in this event which shows the relationship between the two countries is moving and this is the way the relationship should have been moving in the past as well.
The exhibition like this, he observed, would provide tremendous opportunity to Pakistani businessmen to display their products and introduce them in the Indian market.
The present formal trade, he said, is far below the potential, adding that the potential of propelling trade volume in view of the size of economies of the two countries is very huge.
The signing of Safta, he said, provided an opportunity for free flow of goods which would help promote trade ties for the mutual benefit besides transforming the region into an economic power to survive the challenges.
He said Pakistan is very strong in textile sector and India can gain knowledge and experience in this field, and added that the scope is tremendous and both sides can benefit from each other.
Wipro Chairman Azim Premji said that Pakistan economy started showing turnaround during the last two years. He said the bilateral ties would normalise at much faster pace with the hike in trade activities between the two countries.
Welcoming the strong Pakistani business delegation, Premji said that Pakistan and India both are shining and Pakistan is going through remarkable turnaround. He underscored the need of capitalising on the resilience that already existed in the business sector.
Comments
Comments are closed.