NEW DELHI, March 11: Bundoo Khan's delicious kebabs were all sold out here on Thursday. People made a beeline for Hashim's famed 'surma', and carted away exotic furniture , onyx ornaments and dresses as the widely acclaimed first 'Made-in-Pakistan' exhibition came to a close here.

Muhammad Amin Khatri, the director of the exhibition, told Dawn that a 'Made-in-India' festival in Karachi had been planned for August. "We are overjoyed by the response to this first earnest attempt to do business across the borders," Mr Khatri said. "But this is not enough, so we have proposed a joint India-Pakistan exhibition in a third country. We are planning to jointly hold this festival in Sri Lanka next year."

The exhibition that began on March 3 was sponsored by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Indian Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, who inaugurated the show, said the trade barriers between the two countries had become meaningless.

Mr Shourie suggested a three-pronged strategy for spurring overall development in the region. Firstly, he said, development required unwavering focus bereft of hostility. "For hostility distracts us from our focus on development."

"Then there is a great benefit in opening up as it will enable us to become more competitive in the global economic environment. "And finally, there is a a gigantic potential that needs to be intelligently tapped for tourism, energy exchange and high-end manufacturing products."

Mr Khatri said some of the products presented by Pakistan were evidently overpriced for the Indian market. Those included a range of motorcycles and white goods including air-conditioners that did not fare too well.

"But with Karachi's celebrated gourmet specialist on song every day of the show, the achievements of the week-long first exhibition cannot not be counted in terms of the few million rupees worth of business that was transacted," Mr Khatri said. "The next step is to seek out agents. The beginning has been very encouraging," he added.