Pakistan’s industry body says may suspend trade ties with India

Pakistan’s industry body says may suspend trade ties with India

FPCCI warned it would consider suspending trade ties with India if the situation between the two nations did not improve soon.

The Dollar Business Bureau

The Federa­tion of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Thursday warned it would consider suspending trade ties with India if the situation between the two nations did not improve soon.

FPCCI president Abdul Rauf Alam said Pakistan did not have any obligations to continue business and trade relations with its neighbour under the current hostile conditions.

He reiterated that the Pakistani business community was united to take appropriate action and considering the current tense situation, Pakistan is finding it difficult to continue its trade relations with India.

Referring to the Kalabagh dam and the China-Pakistan Econo­mic Corridor (CPEC), Alam said, these projects have already been facing controversies from the neighbouring countries and that if such opportunities are lost it would be quite damaging for Pakistan. He advised the business community to stay away from political blame game and come together to improve the image of FPCCI.

This is the first such instant when a major Pakistani business trade body has issued a statement saying Pakistan could snap trade links with India due to the ongoing tensions.

India-Pakistan cultural, political and trade ties have suffered in the aftermath of the Uri terror attack, which claimed lives of 20 Indian soldiers.

Last month, several Indian cross-borders traders as well as trade bodies had pointed out that snapping trade ties with Pakistan won’t cause a significant damage to the country.

The Dollar Business Bureau - Oct 28, 2016 12:00 IST