Pak promises to expand list of items to be imported from India

NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Thursday promised to enhance the list of items that can be imported from India while making a case for level playing field for trade between the two countries.

"We have the request to increase the positive list... We will certainly be taking a positive view once we take a final position on enhancement of positive list (of trade with India)," Pakistan commerce secretary Syed Asif Shah said while addressing Ficci members here.

Underlining the need for a level playing field with regard to trade between the two countries, he said, even today 30 per cent of tariff lines are in the positive list and covering most of the products.

Quoting a World Bank report, Shah said that trade worth almost $1 billion between India and Pakistan was being routed through other countries. This circumvention of trade, he added, could be avoided to the mutual benefit of both the countries.

Replying questions on facilitating trade through land route, he said, facilities on the Pakistani side were almost ready while India would take about two years to build infrastructure to take load of increased trade.

Shah said a lot of progress have taken place since the beginning of composite dialogue between the two countries three-four years ago.