ISLAMABAD, Sept 17: The Indian Merchant Chamber (IMC) has emphasized the need for resolving problems like Kashmir issue to enhance bilateral direct trade between his country and Pakistan. The IMC president, Rajesh Kapadia, stated this in a meeting with officials of Islamabad Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) here on Saturday. Mr Kapadia is leading a 40-member IMC delegation currently visiting Pakistan.

Presidents of both the chambers also inked a memorandum of understanding for strengthening relations and promoting trade ties between the two countries. They also exchanged insignia of both chambers as a token of honour.

The IMC president said India and Pakistan inherited bureaucracy from the British and peoples of both the countries were fed up of this bureaucracy.

He said IMC was the first chamber of India, which got ISO 9001 certification and they had the honour that Mahatma Gandhi had the honorary membership of the chamber.

Mr Kapadia said both countries had similar problems like unemployment, poverty, low literacy rate and poor health cover.

He appreciated the efforts of the ICCI in establishing a dry port at Islamabad, and said it would enhance economic activities in this region. He said the IMC would assist the ICCI in procuring video conferencing facility for its purposed export display centre.

The ICCI president, Tariq Sadiq, welcoming the delegation, said the issues between India and Pakistan must be resolved through dialogue so that peoples of this region could progress.