India and Pakistan began two days of talks on Tuesday to boost trade ties, including a cross-border truck service to ferry goods, a government statement said. The Pakistan team for the talks is headed by Commerce Secretary Asif Shah while the Indian side is led by Gopal K Pillai, Indian government statement said.
"The agenda for the talks includes trade in goods and services, tea exports from India, joint registration of basmati rice, including new items for trade such as cement," the statement said.
The joint registration for basmati will ensure that third parties do not benefit from squabbles between the two nations to register the long-grained aromatic grain as unique to their area of production in India and Pakistan, said Pravin Anand, an expert in patent and copyright laws. Pakistan's exports to India stood at $323 million while Indian exports to Pakistan crossed $1 billion in 2005-06.
The neighbours also discussed the launch of a truck service through the Wagah-Attari border crossing in India's Punjab state. At present, goods are brought up to the land crossing at Wagah and then carried by labourers across the border and loaded onto waiting trucks.
"The arrangement we have now is tedious and we are trying to change that," said an Indian official. Since 2004, India and Pakistan have increased transport links adding several bus routes including one connecting Srinagar, capital of Indian held Kashmir with Muzaffarabad, administrative headquarters of Pakistan controlled Kashmir.
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