May 17, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1424

KARACHI, May 16: Top business leadership of Pakistan will nominate the president of India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IPCCI), possibly next month in New Delhi, while the co-president of the chamber will be from Indian side.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has asked IPCCI co-president Senator Ilyas Bilour and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) to nominate the president from Pakistan side.

In this connection, the FICCI has invited a large business delegation comprising the IPCCI co-president and FPCCI president Riaz Ahmed Tata to attend the third meeting of the IPCCI scheduled to be held by the end of next month.

FICCI secretary general Dr Amit Mitra on behalf of FICCI president Dr A.C. Muthiah has asked Ilyas Bilour and the FPCCI chief to nominate the IPCCI president. “As per constitution of the IPCCI, it is the turn of Pakistan to nominate the president of IPCCI and for India to nominate its co-president,” the letter of the FICCI secretary general said.

“We are holding the third meeting of the IPCCI in New Delhi on June 27-28,” the letter, jointly received by co-president of the IPCCI and the FPCCI on May 14, stated.

The FICCI secretary general has called for mobilization of a strong business delegation from Pakistan for participating in the meeting. He asked the FPCCI to confirm the dates (June 27-28) for this meeting at the earliest.

The last meeting of the India-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held in Islamabad in May 2001. The joint chamber remained inoperative since its inception in January 1999. Its first meeting was held in January 1999. Its meeting was due in December 2002 but it could not be held.

When an FPCCI official was asked to give reasons of quite a late invitation from the FICCI for the meeting next month in view of on-going bilateral talks between Pakistan and India, the FPCCI official said that improvement in political relations might take some time and it was hoped that before June 27 meeting — India may resume air, sea and land routes because opening of these channels are necessary before resumption of trade. Opening of various trade routes would automatically foster trade ties between the two countries. India had snapped up all these links in December 2001.

According to country profile prepared by the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there is a great potential in India for Pakistani exports of marine products, plastic products, rice, raw wool, leather products, cotton and made-up textiles, surgical instruments, electric fans, water coolers and dry fruits.