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Indian PM Manmohan Singh accepts invitation to visit Pakistan, says Fahim

Delhi wants a stable, prosperous Pakistan

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75 Pakistani products to benefit from duty free European access; Indo-Pak trade diplomacy credited with ending EU concession impasse

ISLAMABAD - In the latest development of the ‘composite dialogue’ between regional arch enemies Pakistan and India, both countries have shown willingness to positively address issues pertaining to trade, commerce and industry.

Amin Fahim meets Manmohan Singh

New Delhi wants to see a stable and prosperous Pakistan, said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his meeting with the Federal Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim. It is pertinent to mention that India, in a welcome move, announced the decision to remove its objection over unilateral concessional trade package for Pakistani goods in EU markets in the WTO, without linking it with Pakistan granting it MFN status. These efforts have come to fruition as a result of continuous efforts of the incumbent government and its respective departments, most importantly the ministry of foreign affairs. The dawn of democracy in 2008 provided impetus for improved relations between Pakistan and the EU, and it was agreed to hold EU-Pakistan summit level engagement. President Asif Ali Zardari visited Brussels for the first summit in 2009. In recognition of Pakistan’s sacrifices against extremism and Al-Qaeda, taking into account the economic losses suffered due to terrorism and devastating floods last year, the EU leadership decided to give Pakistan-specific tariff concessions in the form of autonomous trade preferences under which 75 Pakistani products would benefit from duty free access to European markets. These trade concessions however required a WTO waiver. The EU applied for the WTO waiver in January. The waiver request enjoyed the support of 150 of 152 members of WTO. India out rightly opposed it and Bangladesh expressed certain reservations, demanding compensation. However, after diplomatic engagements between the two countries, India has decided to remove its objection over the Pak-EU trade deal.

Doubling bilateral trade

Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim was on a visit to India at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Shri Anand Sharma. After more than three and a half decades, this is the first visit by a Pakistan commerce minister to India. Accompanying him was a high level official delegation including the commerce secretary and 50 business delegates from Pakistan. The composition of this delegation underscores the importance that both sides attach to such visits and the mutual desire for better bilateral trade and commercial relations. The joint press statement issued after the meetings said the ministers agreed to jointly work to more than double bilateral trade within three years, from current levels of $2.7 billion per annum to about $6 billion. This goal shall also be facilitated through the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the India Trade Promotion Organisation and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. The MoU shall foster better trade promotional activities, for the benefit of business communities of both countries. In his meeting with the Pakistani commerce minister, Manmohan Singh stressed both Pakistan and India to work together for economic prosperity of the poor masses and in facing future financial challenges. He assured the Pakistani commerce minister of his government’s full cooperation in boosting trade links between the two neighbouring countries.

Recent gains

During the visit, Pakistan’s trade diplomacy succeeded in softening India’s stance, getting it to de-link the MFN demand from Pakistan’s EU waiver. It is pertinent to mention that presently India accounts for a total of over one per cent of Pakistan’s total trade, while Pakistan accounts for a negligible 0.5 per cent of India’s trade. According to a study employing the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) gravity model, total trade between the neighbouring countries could increase to a phenomenal $42 billion if certain roadblocks were sincerely addressed. Shortly before the trade delegation, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar was highly successful in achieving desired results, and with the current composite dialogue in place, one can certainly hope for better trade ties between the two countries. While other countries have also raised objections over the proposed trade package by the EU, sources claimed that these differences are expected to be chalked out before the next meeting of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO).

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Manmohan singh is a disgrace :hitwall: why he have to meet pak commerce minister when there is commerce minister anand sharma to do that???

MMS is a disgrace he have downgraded protocol and values :hitwall: a prime minister should not meet any jounior minister come on we are a big nation, big economy, big power...........

Dont worry brother he wont go..There is no confirmation from MEA, only pakistanis are claiming it. For such visits both countries have to agree on something significant and unfortunately MMS doesnt have the mandate.
Remember even Obama said he would come to pakistan, but now he will not come

Cheers
 
Ratio of political extremism/conservatism from Indian side can be observed from this thread.
 
Dont worry brother he wont go..There is no confirmation from MEA, only pakistanis are claiming it. For such visits both countries have to agree on something significant and unfortunately MMS doesnt have the mandate.
Remember even Obama said he would come to pakistan, but now he will not come

Cheers


Obama is not wellcome to Pakistan

but

For MMS we can change our approach.
 
This is another good news i hope Mr.PM does go to Pakistan i hope we both live in peace and let live.. for some of you haters that don't like the news and always think negative plzz stop and wake up its time for peace and your PM is doing something good.
 
Hope MMS wont get the same response to his Pakistan visit which Atalbihari Vajpayee got.We had Kargil in the past.Though i have deep respect to MMS and peace process should be handled carefully
 
This is another good news i hope Mr.PM does go to Pakistan i hope we both live in peace and let live.. for some of you haters that don't like the news and always think negative plzz stop and wake up its time for peace and your PM is doing something good.
You're talking as if we never initiated the peace procese before. You guys replied with Kargil drama..
 
wait for few more years when we will have Narender Modi as our PM :enjoy: everyone will love him too :D

Who knows.. the man is a politician.. if MMS is able to lay enough grounds..
Maybe Modi might turn around and be even more pro friendly relations.. that would leave some venomous pigs in India disappointed.

Problem with peace..
A certain section of Pakistani society will lose a large moral ground for its funding needs.
and its privileges.
 
Biggest man Ive ever known in the sub-continent in the last ten years.
Bigger man than any in this region.
I salute you Manmohan Singh.

I really like this person.He is sincere to the cause.But the economic developments are a cause of concern.So far Manmohan has failed to curb the high inflation rate,a big failure.Come to think of it,he is a man of economics.

Challenging times are lying ahead of us,as Europe is nudging towards recession.It will be a test for Manmohan and his leadership skills.Damn,I am loosing on stocks here...
 
I support this India-Pakistan initiative by MMS...just i hope that he is ready for a Kargil type initiative by Pakistan...:P
 
Well I couldn't find any later data with a quick search but even if we are to assume that Indian Muslim fertility rate is 4% for the past 10 years, that would only have added another 11,000,000 more people.

Pakistan's population is roughly 170,000,000 with the overwhelming majority being Muslims so India definitely doesn't have more Muslims than Pakistan.

Woah, and i always went along with the common notion that India has more muslims than Pakistan!!
 
Doesnt MMS have anything better to do????

Huh !!!! Visting pakistan
 
Ratio of political extremism/conservatism from Indian side can be observed from this thread.

Yeah screw that man.

I have a lingering doubt if he was elected from Assam or Attock :hitwall:
 
Ratio of political extremism/conservatism from Indian side can be observed from this thread.

Really???????????

U are happy because MMS is pro pakistan at the cost of India.

RAW is not responsible for killing or harm to any pakistani for last 7 years but Indians are not so lucky we are facing ISI as per govt. of India's own admission.
 
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