Indian envoy welcomes Pakistan’s cordial ties with China

PESHAWAR: The India High Commissioner Dr T.C.A Raghavan has said his country welcomed Pakistan’s cordial relations with China and other neighbours without which overall situation in the region will not improve.
He was responding to the questions of mediapersons and remarks by the members of business community during his visit to the Khyber Pakhtun-khwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) here on Wednesday.
To a question about the Chinese President’s recent visit to Pakistan, he said, “India wants Pakistan’s good relations with China as my country also has very good relations with China. We also want Pakistan’s good relations with Afghanistan and Iran, because unless different countries in the region have stable relationships the overall situation in the region will not improve.”
“The way your relations with China are strengthening and getting stronger, our relations with China are gaining strength in the same manner,” Dr Raghavan argued.Dispelling the impression that India was not happy with Chinese President visit and its outcome, the Indian envoy said India was not at all concerned at Pak-China relationship. China’s relationship with India and other neighbours are also robust as Beijing is a strong regional economic power, he added.
To question about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its impact on Pak-India relations, Dr Raghavan said that it would benefit the entire region if infrastructure got improved in Pakistan. “Because it will open up possibilities for all the countries in the region and certainly we would like Pakistan’s economy to develop, to be more externally-oriented and if Pakistan relations with Afghanistan, Iran, China and other Asian countries, including India, improve it would be better for all of us.”
To another question as to why India-Pakistan trade was not taking off and why both the countries have not been able to utilise the potential which exists between the two, the Indian high commissioner said that neighbours always had issues because the intensity of their interaction remains much more than other countries. He added that “both India and Pakistan should treat each other as normal trading partners.” “Differences are also there on political issues and there are deep-rooted issues between India and Pakistan, but the first step towards resolving those issues or living with those issues, the two should try to normalise the rest of their relationships,” Dr Raghavan added.
The two countries, he said, should also remove misconceptions about each other.Flanked by Senator Ilyas Bilour and KPCCI president Fuad Ishaq, Dr Raghavan said some 10 years ago India-China and Pak-China mutual trade stood at the identical figure of $100 million, but today India-China trade has risen to $70 billion that too is far below the potential that exists between the two.
Earlier, the Indian envoy said, “It is impossible to be in the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa without being aware of the wider regional changes which are taking place. We are coming to the close of the important chapter that began in 1979. There are very important developments taking place in Iran — with Iran-US relations—and a new chapter has unfolded in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.”
Internal changes are also taking place in Afghanistan and all this creates a new potential and environment and India is also trying to make maximum use of that potential, he maintained.He said the visa process has been liberalized for Pakistani traders and meetings with different trade chambers were also being held at the Indian embassy on regular basis.
Fuad Ishaq highlighted the problems the traders are facing in getting Indian visas and other issues. “Pakistan and India are the two largest economies in South Asia with very low levels of bilateral trade,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Indian High Commissioner Dr T.C.A Raghavan called on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan at the Governor’s House on Wednesday. According to an official communiqué, the Indian diplomat remained with the governor for some time and discussed matters of bilateral issues, trade relations and improvement in Pakistan-India relations.
The governor shed light on combating militancy, repatriation of displaced families in Pakistan and the steps being taken to bring stability and peace in Fata. He welcomed the guest and highlighted the importance of friendly relations for mutual benefits of the people of both countries.