LAHORE, Oct 1: Two Indian trucks carrying tomatoes crossed the Wagah border and into Pakistan for the first time since independence, marking the beginning of a new era of trade between the two countries.

The first truck moved to the Pakistani side at 9.30am and the second at 1.30pm. The trucks returned to India after the tomatoes had been unloaded.

Another truck carrying frozen meat could not cross the border because the time (7am to 3pm) allocated for the movement had ended.

A number of Pakistani trucks, according to Pakistan Customs officials, are scheduled to take goods to India on Wednesday. Officials welcomed the new arrangement as a sign of improvement in trade relations.

“This is a positive development and will boost the volume of trade between the two neighbours,” Commerce Secretary Syed Asif Shah said.

The two countries have so far been trading via sea and train. However, the secretary said, it was premature to forecast a big increase in bilateral trade because of the new arrangement since the trade infrastructure and storage areas were yet to be developed on both sides.

“But the very fact that it will allow cross-border movement of products like cement and cotton in bulk means that there is a lot of room for improvement in the cargo volumes. It also depends on exporters and importers from the two sides whether they want to trade and how much,” the secretary said.

Mohammad Aqeel, who has imported the tomatoes, said the move would help improve bilateral trade, especially of perishable products.