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India never halted trade relations with Pakistan and desires to maneuver in direction of normalising enterprise ties, a senior Indian diplomat right here has stated, stressing that at the moment’s diplomacy focuses on tourism, trade, and know-how as a result of “money speaks its own language”.
Suresh Kumar, India’s Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan made these remarks on March 17 whereas talking on the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the Dawn newspaper reported.
“India always wants better relations with Pakistan because we cannot change our geography,” he stated.
“We want to move towards normal relations with Pakistan. We also didn’t stop trade with Pakistan, as it was Pakistan that did it,” he stated.
“It would be better to see how we can change our problems and situations,” Mr. Kumar stated.
In 2019, Pakistan suspended bilateral trade with India and expelled its High Commissioner in Islamabad after New Delhi revoked the particular standing of Jammu and Kashmir.
India has been sustaining that it wishes regular neighbourly relations with Pakistan whereas insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an surroundings that is freed from terror and hostility for such an engagement.
The trade with Pakistan stood at $329.26 million in 2020-21 and $830.58 million in 2019-20, the information confirmed.
He agreed that the variety of visas issued by the Indian embassy to Pakistanis dropped through the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he insisted that the quantity has now increased, as 30,000 visas have been being issued yearly, which he stated was “a huge number”.
Mr. Kumar stated the Indian authorities was additionally issuing medical and sports activities visas to Pakistanis.
He stated gone have been the times when diplomacy used to give attention to compiling political experiences. Today’s diplomacy, he stated, revolved round tourism, trade and know-how “as money speaks its own language”.
India was presently doing trade of $120 billion with China, by which the steadiness of trade is in direction of China, he stated, stressing that imports “are not always wrong and also have advantages”.
Mr. Kumar stated that mental property has turn out to be extra vital than bodily property. “By sitting in distant countries and manufacturing in other countries, Europe is making money due to intellectual property rights,” he stated. “Universities in Europe focus on technology.”
He stated transit trade was extremely vital as Central Asia was a giant market and India wanted access to it. Similarly, Central Asia additionally wanted entry to India.
He stated India was on track to turn out to be one of many largest economies. “Our service sector has grown enormously and now we are focusing on manufacturing, like automobile and electronics manufacturing,” he stated.
LCCI President Kashif Anwar stated it was usually thought that enhancing financial relations wagerween India and Pakistan was a posh concern that required addressing a variety of political, financial and social elements.
“But we are of the view that the foremost step that could be taken to improve economic relations between India and Pakistan is to normalise trade relations. This would bring substantial economic benefits evenly to both the countries,” he stated.
