Sheikh Haroon Rashid, Vice President FPCCI stated that FPCCI wants to promote and strengthen further the economic relations particularly through developing trade ties with Canada. He said this during a meeting with Jawad Qureshi, Analyst, South Asia, Government of Canada, Privy Council Office and Uday Sequeira, First Secretary (Political), Canadian High Commission Islamabad, held at FPCCI in Karachi.

The meeting was also attended by Sheikh Shakil Ahmed Dhingra, Vice President FPCCI, Zahid Umer, Chairman Pakistan-Canada Business Council of FPCCI and Maher Alam Khan, Acting Secretary-General FPCCI. Replying to a question, Sheikh Haroon Rashid said Pakistan and India are members of the Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). By January 2013, the applicable tariff under SAFTA for all the items except those included in the SAFTA sensitive list will be reduced to 0-5 percent by both India and Pakistan.

Uday Sequeira highlighted the importance of frequent exchanges of trade delegations as a tool to strengthen people-to-people contacts between the two countries. He said that he found Pakistani people very open, forthcoming and hospitable. Shakil Ahmed Dhingra, while desiring for good neighbourly relations with India, said that dialogue is the only way to address issues between the two countries.-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2012