Founders oppose trade with India

21 Apr, 2004

The Founders Group at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has called for changing mindsets of country's economic managers while insisting that Pakistan will emerge as loser after opening trade with India.
Responding to the claims of Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Dr Ishrat Hussain that opening up of trade with India will provide Pakistani entrepreneurs an access to one-billion consumer market, Chairman The Founder Pervez Hanif said in a statement here on Tuesday that the issues should be debated on ground realities.
In a statement, Pervez said before asking for opening up of trade with India, the economic managers should also make public results of opening up of trade with China, as it is also one billion consumers market offering more than double opportunities to Pakistani producers as per capita income of Chinese population is almost double than that of India.
He said that India is more inward and biased market as compared to China and Pakistani exporters would have to face a hostile attitude from their consumer base especially when both the countries are producing same products and competing with each other at the international market.
Till date India is insisting continuing ban on the export of raw materials of pharmaceutical and other chemical industries to Pakistan that indicate her future intentions, he added.

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