LAHORE, July 12: Pakistan’s carpet producers and exporters want free trade with India in order to “jointly counter pressures of importers from developed countries” that often result in lower prices of their products.

The wish for improved bilateral trade, cultural, and political relations between the two neighbouring nations was expressed by a senior official of the Pakistan Carpets Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PCMEA), Javed-ur-Rehman, at a briefing organized for Indian journalists visiting the city these days.

He said the western “importers always tried to take advantage” of the differences between India and Pakistan. “If we join hands, we’ll be able to cope with their undue pressures.”

The Indian journalists representing electronic and print media arrived here on Friday on the first bus that rolled into the city after the resumption of the Dosti bus service between the two countries following 18-month suspension.

Mr Javed also called upon the governments of the two countries to reduce visa restrictions to “enable the businessmen and common people to travel freely across the borders.”

“All the SAARC member nations should consider putting in place similar arrangements which are in vogue among the member states of the European Union (EU) whose citizens don’t need visa for travelling to any EU country,” he stated. “If the EU countries can have such an arrangement, why can’t we? After all, we share a common culture, traditions, and norms.”

But, Mr Javed stated, the hindrance in the way of “normalizing Indo-Pakistan relations was the issue of Kashmir,” and called upon the media to play its role to help solve the outstanding issues.

He stated that both the countries spent almost 70pc of their budget on defence. “We would be better placed to allocate greater financial resources for alleviating poverty and developing social sector, if we somehow manage to settle our bilateral disputes.”