FPCCI asks Govt to accord Non-Discriminatory Access to India

Lahore: The Government should accord India Non-Discriminatory Access (NDA) at the earliest This was stated by Muhammad Ali, Acting President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) in a  meeting held at Federation House on India Pakistan Trade Relations. He also stressed for the removal of all non-tariff barriers on the Indian side.

The meeting was attended by  S.M. Muneer, President of the India Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry,  Yawar Ali, Chairman of the India Pakistan Business Forum,. Shaheen Ilyas Sarwana (Vice President FPCCI),  Bashir Ali Mohammad Member India Pakistan Business Forum,  Zubair Tufail Former Vice President FPCCI,  Amjad Rafi Member India Pakistan CCI, Nasiruddin Shiekh Chairman Fairs and Exhibitions of FPCCI and M A Lodhi.

Muhammad Ali said that Pakistan had slashed its tariffs on Indian imports considerably, but we still face problems in accessing the Indian market owing to the presence of non-tariff barriers, including delays at the customs clearance stage, massive subsidization of agriculture sector in India, standardization of HS codes between both countries and non-banking channels. He appreciated the role being played by IPCCI under the leadership of its President Mr S M Muneer.

S.M. Muneer said that accordance of NDA status to India would be a positive step because it would convey to the Indian side that Pakistan was sincere in the process of trade normalization. At the same time, he said that while Pakistan allowed Indian imports easily, the same ease in conducting business was still lacking from the Indian side which should be addressed. He also invited Mr. Yawar Ali and  Bashir Ali Mohammad to participate actively in FPCCI’s roundtable conference being held on November 29, 2013 in Karachi in collaboration with the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) and the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).

While giving briefing about the formation of India Pakistan Joint Business Council  Yarwar Ali informed that task forces have been established on sectors including textile, agriculture, pharmaceutical, Automobile, Chemicals, Trade infrastructure and Trade Disputes Resolutions. He emphasized on the need that both countries should ensure early implementation of SAFTA under SAARC agreement  He also suggested FPCCI should work out a plan to safe guard Pakistan local industry.