House panel in favour of economic ties with Pakistan
NEW DELHI : Parliament Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs urged the government to consider the establishment of economic ties with Pakistan, despite the diplomatic deep-freeze in bilateral relations for some time. “Despite the lack of progress on the diplomatic front, the Committee urge the Government to consider the establishment of economic ties with Pakistan if they come forward and work towards broader people-to-people contacts in view of the cultural commonalities and civilizational linkages between our two countries and no feeling of enmity amongst citizens of both the countries," the Standing Committee said in its report on India’s “Neighbourhood First" Policy.
The Standing Committee made the recommendation in a report surveying India’s “Neighbourhood First" policy, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday. In 2019, Pakistan suspended bilateral trade with India after New Delhi abrogated Article 370 and revoked special status for Jammu and Kashmir.
Despite this bilateral trade has continued with an estimated $1.35 billion volume in April-December 2022. In 2021, that figure stood at $516 million.
“Main items of export from India to Pakistan are: cotton, organic chemicals, food products including prepared animal fodder, edible vegetables, plastic articles, man-made filament, coffee, tea, spices, dyes, oil seeds, dairy products, pharmaceuticals etc," reads the website of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. “Main items of import by India from Pakistan are: copper and copper articles, edible fruits and nuts, cotton, salt, sulphur and earths and stones, organic chemicals, mineral fuels, plastic products, wool, glassware, raw hides & skin, etc," according to the website.
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