Former president of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry and in UK Noon Group Chairman Sir Gulam Noon has called upon India and Pakistan to put an end to rat race of weaponisation so as to jointly counter the issues of poverty and illiteracy.
Noon, who is the first-ever-Muslim president of the London Chamber of Commerce in the UK history, stated this during his meeting with the LCCI office-bearers here on Saturday.
He said Pakistan and India would become a force to reckon with double standards and selective morality of the West, if they join hands. About WTO regime, he said Pakistan and India should tighten its belts to take benefits from the existing pitfalls in the WTO regime.
Noon, however, quickly admitted that the trade liberalisation would initially be harmful for the developing economies, and urged Pakistan to reduce his dependence on the West like India to embrace itself for the new regime.
He, who is also founder chairman of the Asian Business Association of as many as 600 Asian companies, urged Acting LCCI President Mian Misbahur Rehman and its Vice-President Shahzad Ali Malik to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the London Chamber of Commerce.
To a question about the launching of Eurobond by Pakistan, he said it would fetch certainly a good response as the Pakistani expatriates had great affinity with their motherland, adding Pak companies should also open their business concerns in the UK like Indians who are remitting huge profits back home. Noon said that 9/11 had changed the perception of West about Islam.
The West now consider it a harsh religion that makes every Muslim duty bound to safeguard the name of Islam by practising principles like mutual respect and tolerance towards other religions rather than recklessly following clergies, he added.
Earlier, LCCI Vice-President Shahzad Ali, in his remarks, paid tribute to Noon for the services he has rendered for the business communities in UK and Asia.
Former LCCI vice-president Mohammed Ali Mian, EC members Mian Muzaffar Ali, Mohsin Banday also attended the meeting.