Caravan in Motion: Indo-Pak Trade
Caravan in Motion: Indo-Pak Trade
Majyd Aziz
Preamble:
26 November 2008: Ajmal Kasab goes on a rampage and by the time the guns go off, 257 people lose their lives in and around Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. Probably every Pakistani became persona non grata in this landmark hotel.
26 September 2011: 70 Pakistani businessmen led by Commerce Minister, Makhdoom Amin Fahim accompanied by a team of government officials arrive on a historic visit to India. They are transported to this very Hotel where charming ladies, clad in colorful saris, welcome them with a captivating smile, a cool beverage, and an aromatic garland.
This symbolism of positive change is awesome. Three years ago, the two nations were on a high alert, ready to settle scores once and for all. And now, in less than three years, the hotel personnel accorded amazing hospitality and bent backwards to make the delegation’s stay a memorable one.
It is in continuation of this feel-good environment that Mr Anand Sharma, the Indian Commerce Minister, invited his Pakistani counterpart, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, to Mumbai and New Delhi with a vision to upgrade the present status of trade and investment. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister while accepting this historic invitation conveyed the message that he wanted a strong delegation of Pakistani businessmen to accompany him as the new thinking in Islamabad is to involve the private sector in crucial decision making process.
When PIA flight PK 278 left Karachi for a short flight to Mumbai, the delegation was optimistic but there was this uneasiness that it might just be a goodwill tour, even though it was after 35 years that a Commerce Minister led such a delegation, and that the road towards liberalization of bilateral trade and investment was still meandering, was full of potholes, and there were many blind spots ahead. But there was a ray of hope.
Paradigm Shift:
This first ray of hope in the long drawn process of normalization and progress of
Majyd Aziz
Preamble:
26 November 2008: Ajmal Kasab goes on a rampage and by the time the guns go off, 257 people lose their lives in and around Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. Probably every Pakistani became persona non grata in this landmark hotel.
26 September 2011: 70 Pakistani businessmen led by Commerce Minister, Makhdoom Amin Fahim accompanied by a team of government officials arrive on a historic visit to India. They are transported to this very Hotel where charming ladies, clad in colorful saris, welcome them with a captivating smile, a cool beverage, and an aromatic garland.
This symbolism of positive change is awesome. Three years ago, the two nations were on a high alert, ready to settle scores once and for all. And now, in less than three years, the hotel personnel accorded amazing hospitality and bent backwards to make the delegation’s stay a memorable one.
It is in continuation of this feel-good environment that Mr Anand Sharma, the Indian Commerce Minister, invited his Pakistani counterpart, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, to Mumbai and New Delhi with a vision to upgrade the present status of trade and investment. Pakistan’s Commerce Minister while accepting this historic invitation conveyed the message that he wanted a strong delegation of Pakistani businessmen to accompany him as the new thinking in Islamabad is to involve the private sector in crucial decision making process.
When PIA flight PK 278 left Karachi for a short flight to Mumbai, the delegation was optimistic but there was this uneasiness that it might just be a goodwill tour, even though it was after 35 years that a Commerce Minister led such a delegation, and that the road towards liberalization of bilateral trade and investment was still meandering, was full of potholes, and there were many blind spots ahead. But there was a ray of hope.
Paradigm Shift:
This first ray of hope in the long drawn process of normalization and progress of