ISLAMABAD: Despite the ongoing political crisis and flash floods in Punjab, the government has facilitated 150 exhibitors to showcase their products in New Delhi to access India’s middle-class market of 600 million people.

The four-day exhibition named ‘Aalishan Pakistan’, starting from today (Thursday), would allow exhibitors to showcase their products in 320 stalls ranging from garments to textiles, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir told a news conference here on Wednesday.

An art exhibition for young artists, a fashion show, business-to-business meeting of Pakistani exporters with Indian firms, and a business seminar will also be held at the sidelines of the event.

A high-profile delegation of leading businessmen will also attend Aalishan Pakistan, he added.

The government was under pressure from certain quarters to cancel the exhibition, especially after India called off foreign secretary level talks with Pakistan, the minister said.

“However, the government values trade diplomacy to expand exports.”

The first Pakistan lifestyle exhibition in India was held in 2012.

This second exhibition, the minister said, was not only bigger in number of exhibitors, but also in terms of stalls.

On resumption of talks on liberalising bilateral trade with India, Dastgir said he was to discuss the matter on the sidelines of the Safta Ministerial Conference held in July 2014, but the Indian state minister for commerce did not turn up to the meeting.

The second forum, he said, was the resumption of foreign secretary level talks, which were cancelled by India.

He said both countries agreed in January this year to give non-discriminatory market access to each other, but it did not happen. “Our products still face hurdles in the Indian market,” he said, adding that any progress on talks was linked with the reciprocal market access.

The minister hoped that the talks would be revived in the next few months.

The trade with India is picking up, he said. Giving figures of the first 11 months of the previous fiscal year, the minister said Pakistan’s exports to India stood at $327 million, and imports at $1.86 billion during the period.

He said subsidiary departments of the commerce ministry, including the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), would see a major restructuring in the next couple of years.

The minister forecast a decline in exports in the first quarter (July-Sept) of this fiscal year, and mainly blamed political instability. However, he also listed other structural issues including gas and electricity shortage.

He said apex trade bodies of both countries — the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry — would sign an MoU to strengthen ties.

The TDAP was also encouraging all major brands to initiate efforts to open their outlets at India, he said.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2014