Anand Sharma Inaugurates Lifestyle Pakistan
2012
Anand
Sharma Union minister of Commerce, Industry & Textiles and Pakistan
Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood
inaugurated the Lifestyle Pakistan 2012 on 12
April. The first 'Lifestyle Pakistan' exhibits
designers in various categories like fashion textiles, jewellery, designer
furniture and leather goods showcasing high-end items. The exhibition is one of
the steps taken by both India and Pakistan to enhance bilateral commerce and
open new channels for shipment of goods.
Mr. Sharma while inaugurating the event said,
“It gives me immense pleasure to be in the midst of this distinguished
gathering for the inaugural of Lifestyle Exhibition of Pakistan. It is
heartening to see 100 exhibitors from all parts of Pakistan participating along
with a big delegation of 650 people, in this show, demonstrating the best of
Pakistani products”. All visitors from Pakistan are always special for all of
us as it strikes a unique emotional chord in our hearts, Minister added.
Elaborating on the developments Mr.
Sharma stated, “if we look back at the last one year,
the intensity of our engagement has been truly amazing. Within a span of less
than five months, we have had two bilateral meetings at the Commerce Ministers’
level and will have a third one tomorrow within less than ten months- four
meetings between our commerce secretaries and seven engagements of our
Ministries’ Joint Secretaries! In addition, there have been many other Joint
Working Group meetings relating to customs cooperation, trade infrastructure,
possibilities of trade in electricity, visa issues and others. We have held an
India Show in Lahore in February and within two months this Pakistan show in
New Delhi is indeed heartening.”
The Minister said, “We would like an economic
partnership with Pakistan which is enduring and strong, which not only helps in
strengthening the industrial activity on both sides, but also benefits the
consumers. We would like to create an India-Pakistan Business Council which
provides an institutional framework for regular and sustained dialogue between
the business communities. TDAP and ITPO have already inked a Memorandum of
Understanding and I have given mandate to the Chairperson of ITPO who is with
me for intensifying the engagement with Pakistan. At a governmental level,
equally, we need to sustain regularity in our exchanges.”
This is the first collaborative exhibition of Trade
Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and India Trade Promotion Organisation
(ITPO). "There has been lot of movement in trade in the last one year, the
(trade) normalisation is going very fast," Mr. Mahmood said. Mr. Zafar Mehmood, Commerce Secretary
of Pakistan, Dr. Rahul Khullar,
Commerce Secretary of India, Mr.
Tariq Puri, CEO, Trade Development Authority of
India, Mrs. Rita Menon,
CMD-ITPO and Mr. Shahid Mallick, High Commissioner of Pakistan were also present on
the occasion.
It is a fact that the bilateral trade which was
barely US$ 300 million in 2004, now stands at US$ 2.7 billion, a 9-fold growth
in a period of 7 years.
[Source: Ministry of Commerce &
Industry, PIB Press Release dated 12th April 2012]