Processing .....please wait.. 
The article has been forwarded.... 
300 Pakistani businessmen in India for expo
Tuesday, 02 March 2004, 20:30 IST
NEW DELHI: Around 300 Pakistani businessmen and entrepreneurs are in the Indian capital to showcase their products and services at an exhibition on their country and a concurrent conference that began Tuesday.
The weeklong "Made In Pakistan" expo will be held at the Talkatora Gardens during March 3-11. This is the first time a single country exhibition on Pakistan is being held.
"The exhibition would help give Pakistani businessmen the confidence about their prospects in the Indian market and perspective about the demand for their products," said Pakistan High Commissioner Aziz Ahmad Khan.
Khan was speaking at the inauguration of the conference, organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Focusing on the opportunities lost due to uneasy political ties between India and Pakistan, Khan said the prospect of economic dialogue opened up with the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) framework agreement.
"The impact of free trade in the region would be tremendous as SAFTA would create equal opportunities," said Khan.
In the event of SAFTA coming into force from January 2006, Khan said, there would be no need to grant India the most favoured nation (MFN) status "as SAFTA is MFN plus".
Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley stressed on the changing economic scenario due to globalisation "wherein countries would have to get out of uncompetitive areas and source products of best quality and at the cheapest price from other countries".
Similarly, SAFTA would provide "basic advantage for consumers and industry to get best products and services from each other", said Jaitley.
Jaitley was critical of "budgetary moves" of the US to protect domestic markets through bans on outsourcing of government contracts to developing countries.
"India-Pakistan trade is capable of bringing huge advantages when it moves ahead, particularly in tourism," said Jaitley, adding that a tourist visitor holds the promise of becoming a future investor.
The opening up of trade links would help legalise huge amounts of trade being carried out between the two countries through third countries and smuggling, both sides emphasised.
Over the last week, two more delegations of over 60 members each have arrived in India from Karachi's and Lahore's chambers of commerce to explore trade.
Apart from the 300 delegations and exhibitors, more businessmen are expected in the next couple of days, said Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed, leader and vice president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).
The first single-country exhibition by Pakistan would have around 80 stalls with a range of products on display -- textiles, garments and carpets, furniture, handicrafts and light engineering products.
Around 30 percent of exhibitors and delegates are women entrepreneurs who are keen not only to promote their wares but also study products that could be sourced from India.
A major highlight would be the 'jugalbandi' between ghazal maestros Ghulam Ali and Jagjit Singh on March 5, highlighting the cultural links between India and Pakistan, said the organisers.
Source: IANS
Source: IANS