Pakistan, India urged to resolve issues

LAHORE: Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged India and Pakistan to resolve their differences amicably through result oriented “direct parleys” in efforts to de-escalate tensions between the two nuclear Asian neighbours.

Saarc CCI vice president in a statement on Sunday said the normalization of ties is vital for both the countries as well as the region. Closer regional economic ties could create jobs, lower inflation, and increase energy supply, he added.

Most of bilateral diplomatic processes are consumed by perennial gridlocks. “This is an important relationship. We need to spend more time and energy resolving key issues,” he added.He said relationship between both the countries would improve if the governments of these countries facilitate traveling between the two countries. “Ease up visa regimes, provide security to tourists, set up student and faculty exchanges, invite professionals, intellectuals and artistes over to their sides of the border, organise concerts, host joint exhibitions and events, develop shared publications, invite critique and let guests conduct their research and document their experiences,” he elaborated.

He said both the countries should remove non-tariff barriers and bureaucratic hurdles impeding trade. “In auto, textile and several other sectors, exports and partnerships can benefit traders from both the countries equally, he observed.

He said sports and politics should be kept separate and we should play cricket and other sports too to improve our ties, he said. “If we put off all sporting ties until we solve our problems that would not be wise. These events do help create a better environment and we need that,” adding he said let’s pool in our resources and efforts fighting against illiteracy, disease, discrimination, exploitation, poverty, unemployment. We have two of the biggest populations in the world, and therefore are most vulnerable to emerging global threats like climate change and food shortage. If we don’t stand together, we may not stand at all”.

There is a need to find a workable solution of the ongoing border tension because while the rhetoric may be all guns blazing from New Delhi and Islamabad, it is the poor families living along the border who are in reality suffering.

He said both the countries should come up with open minded and without bigotry as talks and preconditions cannot go together. “Pakistan and India should work together to find a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue.