NEW DELHI, Sept 19: Pakistan will push for simpler visa rules with its neighbour India to boost trade and bilateral ties, the Pakistani trade minister said on Monday. India and Pakistan are in the midst of a tentative peace process and have taken several confidence boosting measures to boost relations.

Businessmen complain about strict visa rules and lack of proper air links, which they say restrict business ties.

“It will certainly be my endeavour and the endeavour of my government that it (the visa regime) is liberalized as much as possible,” Pakistani Trade Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan told a meeting of Indian businessmen.

Trade between the two nations is limited because of years of hostility, but in recent months bilateral trade has shown some signs of taking off.

Indian Trade Minister Kamal Nath said imports from Pakistan between April and June this year jumped 150 per cent while India’s exports to Pakistan increased by a paltry 8 per cent.

Bilateral trade stood at $600.77 million in the fiscal year ending 2005 with India’s exports to Pakistan at $505.44 million and Pakistani imports to India at $95.33 million.

Trade is still difficult despite the series of steps taken by the two countries to repair ties. One Indian businessman said it cost him $300 to send a shipment to Singapore while it took $1,400 to send his goods to Karachi from India.

But Khan said these irritants would be a thing of the past once the two countries are able to chart out a new shipping agreement.

He also said his government favoured an open sky policy between the two countries.

“Let me tell you as far as we in the government of Pakistan are concerned we have no problems for an open sky policy between India and Pakistan,” said Khan. —Reuters