25 January 2004	Sunday	02 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Jan 24: New Delhi is ready to offer Islamabad trade relations with leaving the choice of selecting the items up to the latter.

"We are ready to begin trade in the merchandise Pakistan will ask for," Awami National Party Secretary-General Ehsan Wyne quoted Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee as saying during a meeting with the party's delegation in New Delhi recently.

An ANP team, headed by its president Asfandyar Wali, had recently visited India to attend a peace conference.

Mr Vajpayee believed that the mutual trade would benefit the two economies, besides curbing smuggling between both countries, Mr Wyne, who was among the visitors, told Dawn here on Saturday.

Referring to Pakistani businessmen's fears that Indian cheap goods might damage the local industry, Vajpayee said Indian industrialists had same reservations regarding opening trade links with China, "but we took the risk and now it is benefiting us in the shape of surplus trade with Beijing," the ANP leader quoted him as saying.

Vajpayee also urged the need for adopting a single currency among the Saarc countries in the long term, if not now, for solving many trade complications, denying Pakistanis' fears that it would result in the merger of Pakistan and India.

Answering a question about Indians' sincerity in resolving the Kashmir issue, Mr Wyne hoped that the dispute would be solved this time. He said the Indian premier had come out of the influence of hawks and, unlike Agra, was in a position to make a substantial move in this regard.

Mr Vajpayee said he was ready to make a sincere effort for the third time for settling all issues with Pakistan through dialogue, as he thought he was in the period of his age when he would be unable to have a fourth chance for the purpose, the ANP leader said.

"I personally think that Mr Vajpayee is now at a place that now he wishes to be known in the history as champion of peace," he added.

He was all praise for Indian politicians who, he said, were unanimous on the country's foreign policy, though they had rifts over internal affairs. However, he regretted that Pakistani politicians used to wash their dirty linen before foreigners.