Why Pakistan Needs India Now

[boris]

i say heavily fortify the border and cut off all ties with pakistan,its better for both if we remain isolated from each other.pakistani's arent going to change they hate us and will always hate us,period.

even if kashmir is solved as per their way they will never stop terrorist attacks on indian soil,their jihadis will cite some other reason like indus water treaty,1971 bangladesh,balochistan issue to commit acts of terror on indian targets.

when you mention india to a pakistani they first thing that comes to their mind is destruction.

 

[fida jan]

i say heavily fortify the border and cut off all ties with pakistan,its better for both if we remain isolated from each other.pakistani's arent going to change they hate us and will always hate us,period.

even if kashmir is solved as per their way they will never stop terrorist attacks on indian soil,their jihadis will cite some other reason like indus water treaty,1971 bangladesh,balochistan issue to commit acts of terror on indian targets.

when you mention india to a pakistani they first thing that comes to their mind is destruction.

do you know who began terrorists attacks, india, 1971, got it??

 

[muse]

when you mention india to a pakistani they first thing that comes to their mind is destruction.

Well, here it seems there is "permission" to express radical ideas instead of making sense -- Notice how the notion of trade is almost alien - , this idea has not made it to Pakistan from Arabia, lost in translation.

Anyways, Pakistan needs trade and whether with India or Afghanistan or Arabia, Pakistan needs more of it.

 

[desioptimist]

i say heavily fortify the border and cut off all ties with pakistan,its better for both if we remain isolated from each other.pakistani's arent going to change they hate us and will always hate us,period.

even if kashmir is solved as per their way they will never stop terrorist attacks on indian soil,their jihadis will cite some other reason like indus water treaty,1971 bangladesh,balochistan issue to commit acts of terror on indian targets.

when you mention india to a pakistani they first thing that comes to their mind is destruction.

I dont think ordinary people in pakistan supports terrorism anymore by and large. They have seen enough death and destruction.

The debate has changed from "OMG how can a muslim do it" to "even freedom fighters did it, nothing wrong" to " We want it to stop".
People always change their mind when they get first hand experience, americans did, pakistanis will do soon.
Only we dont know how many dead bodies need to pile up there before complete change in mood.

 

[Dalai Lama]

Well, here it seems there is "permission" to express radical ideas instead of making sense -- Notice how the notion of trade is almost alien - , this idea has not made it to Pakistan from Arabia, lost in translation.

Anyways, Pakistan needs trade and whether with India or Afghanistan or Arabia, Pakistan needs more of it.

And it seems that GoI would also like more trade with Pakistan but it from what I can see there seems to be certain amount of aversion against Indian goods among GoP and Pakistanis. From GoP's perspective, it could be that they fear that Pakistan would simply not be able to compete with India on the economic front as of yet, giving India a strategic edge (however little).

On the other hand, the Pakistani public also seem vehemently opposed to the idea of trade with India so I see very little prospect of increased trade in the near future.

 

[MZUBAIR]

Its India needed Pakistan, They called Pakistan PM and President in WC 2011. Where they begged and requested to restart relations :p

 

[muse]

it seems that GoI would also like more trade with Pakistan but it from what I can see there seems to be certain amount of aversion against Indian goods among GoP and Pakistanis.

I'm not sure that's accurate, after all, while trade does mean using market inefficiencies to advantage, it would be silly, particularly in the way the Pakistan and Indian governments are constituted, to neglect the political dimension.

To some in India, trade means Pakistanis buying Indian goods while Pakistani goods remain captive to India granting MFN status on one hand and laying on anti-Pakistan propaganda in society on the other --- Playing fair is difficult and perspective driven, perhaps we may still arrive at win win, if that's what we try to achieve to begin with.

 

[Mo12]

We need each other, but Pakistan needs India more.

But I am sure the void is filled up by China.

 

[TopCat]

We need each other, but Pakistan needs India more.

But I am sure the void is filled up by China.

India should immeditately disburse 10 billion USD to pakistan.

 

[Mo12]

India should immeditately disburse 10 billion USD to pakistan.

Will turn into 5billion, after Indian polticians take they share first. lol

but nope, India should help Indians first.

 

[ARSENAL6]

We need each other, but Pakistan needs India more.

But I am sure the void is filled up by China.

SO that the Muslim population can be treated as slaves and butchered by hindus

Hindu extremists have killed thousands of Muslims in India in a matter of days!

Come back to reality, and you are right in one thing, you better look after yourself and correct you Racist Barbaric ways and stop accusing PAkistan as the terror country of the world when its your own Indian people (hindos) that has caused so many terrorist attacks on Mulsim & Christains alike in India.

 

[ARSENAL6]

hmm..soon....when???
any time frame???

YOu'll find out

 

[muse]

And it seems that GoI would also like more trade with Pakistan but it from what I can see there seems to be certain amount of aversion against Indian goods among GoP and Pakistanis. From GoP's perspective, it could be that they fear that Pakistan would simply not be able to compete with India on the economic front as of yet, giving India a strategic edge (however little).

On the other hand, the Pakistani public also seem vehemently opposed to the idea of trade with India so I see very little prospect of increased trade in the near future.

Well, see the piece below - it highlights issues I think most Indian posters may not have aware of - it's a different perspective and it can further our understanding:


If trade flows big, can peace be far behind?
Muhammad Aftab



Conflict between the two neighbours has defied all sane advice on India-Pakistan business, and even political relations. It is important to ponder in the context of the fact that after years of stalling, India and Pakistan — Asia’s reluctant grooms — have decided to boost bilateral trade, which makes eminent business sense.

On both sides, the stakes and expected business volumes are high, only if the two governments help and political bickering does not obstruct trade. They, previously, had set a two-way trade target of $ 10 billion, which was to be achieved by 2010. But the actual business is still much less. Indian exports to Pakistan were just $ 1.2 billion in the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2010. Pakistani exports to India were merely $ 270 million. Officials estimate, illegal and unregulated trade between the two countries moving via Dubai and Singapore is between $ 2-3 billion. But, the officials project, bilateral trade can rise to $ 6.5 billion a year, from $ 2 billion.

If all goes well and this highly cost-effective and freight-saving land route is completed, trucks should start rolling across the India-Pakistan border this fall. Trade worth billions of dollars is just a stone’s throw away from Lahore and neighbouring Amritsar.

On a positive note, during Islamabad talks between commerce secretaries of the two countries, Pakistan agreed to meet the longstanding Indian demand to provide it with the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) treatment. Islamabad linked it to New Delhi’s removal of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on its exports to India.

Pakistan, since 2007, has demanded the removal of India’s at least 27 non-tariff barriers on Pakistani exports. The restrictions range from the actual inspection of Pakistani goods to rejection of 90 percent visa applications of Pakistani businessmen to travel to India. Pakistan assured the Indian Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar that MFN status will be allowed by October this year. The two sides also agreed to negotiate a Pakistan-India Preferential Traded Agreement (PTA), starting with the reduction of their customs tariff.

Pakistan agreed to the Indian demand of removing restrictions on trade through the land route — Attari-Wagah border points — before October this year.

The two sides have also agreed to allow opening of branches by each other’s banks, under rules prescribed by central banks of India and Pakistan. It will help finance trade, and investment inflows into each other’s country, over which the two sides have also agreed. They also hope to enjoy the minimum cost of doing business. They will also benefit from savings on warehousing and on marine insurance, cheaper truck-based freight, and avoid losses in transportation of fresh food, fruits and vegetables. Easy carriage of heavy and bulky goods like cement and steel products will be among several other advantages. Pakistan’s industries will benefit from easy and cheap import of a range of raw materials will boost re-export to India, larger exports globally, and access the big Indian market for products and services.

Our IT sector, with 150,000 professionals and a billion dollar exports, also hopes to win a good deal of business process outsourcing from India, collaborative development centres, cross-selling of products, and launch of India-Pakistan IT joint ventures in third countries.

A fruitful key outcome is the decision to discard their 1,946-item ‘positive list’ of tradable items. Instead, they will use a very small ‘negative list’ of items to protect their domestic industry.

Two separate expert groups will be formed before June 15 to examine export of Indian electricity to the energy-starved Pakistan, decide suitable routes for transmission and their funding and to examine the possibility of export of petroleum, oils and lubricants (POL) products to Pakistan. It will identify laying of cross-border pipelines and use of road-railway routes for POL products. Besides the northern route of Attari-Wagah, the experts will also examine the possibility of using the southern Munabao-Khokhrapar route.

Industry and business in the two countries are upbeat over the potential of trade and economic benefits, which will flow forth from Islamabad’s decisions. Pakistani exports ranging from textiles to surgical appliances and sports goods to farm products can make a big mark in India.

Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar called for “a quick turnaround of trade after four previous rounds of talks had ground to a halt in the wake of Mumbai attacks”. The process of growth “must gain significant momentum. India wants to move ahead on the bilateral trade agenda”, he said.

Welcoming the outcome on behalf of the private sector, Iftikhar Malik, vice president of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce and Industry says, “It’s a bold initiative. Its very crucial, because other South Asian countries of the SAARC group cannot grow unless relations between their two big member countries — India and Pakistan — are normalised.” It is a good omen. The two countries should grab it.

The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist and former Director General of APP

 

[newdelhinsa]

^ Peace has nothing to do with, how the business will be done. It has to do with, when and how it will be started.