India Pakistan moved a major step ahead in becoming active trade partners of Central Asian countries with leaders of both countries endorsing the call of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to remove all artificial barriers between both the countries as Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, Commerce Minister of Pakistan Makhdoom Fahim and Chief Mnister of Eastern Punjab Mohamed Shabaz Sharif formally jointly inaugurated the Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari Border today. As Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal described ICP as gateway for both countries to prosperity, peace and mutual brotherhood, the Union Home Minister Chidambaram strongly endorsed the demand of Punjab CM to allow import and export of all goods manufactured in both countries instead of restricting it to 137. In his address at the inauguration of India’s first ever ICP, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called upon the National governments of India and Pakistan to take initiatives to make the Indo-Pak border soft, secure and peaceful to give boost to the present relatively sluggish economic performance in the region. Expressing gratitude to the Government of India for establishing ICP over an area of 120acres at a cost of Rs 150 crore, the Chief Minister described it as a step forward in a direction to script a Golden Chapter in history of Indo-Pak relations. Mr Badal said from today onwards this historic day of Baisakhi would also be remembered as “Red Letter Day’ in history of Indo—Pak relations with the opening of ICP, which would prove to be a boon.. Mr Badal lamented that joint Punjab which was the most prosperous provinces of the Sub continent had shrunk due to circumstances which was known to everybody. The unfortunate man made tragedy of partition of 1947 led to the migration of lakhs of people across the Indo Pak border consequently our people on both sides of Punjab not only suffered economically, socially and culturally but were even deprived of their holy shrines like Sri Nankana Sahib, Sri Panja Sahib, Katasraj temple left in Pakistan and Ajmer sharif and Roza Sharif in India. He said that people of border areas in both Punjabs once considered to be most affluent were the worst sufferers of tragedy. He said, “I am desperately waiting for the day when people of both the Punjabs would freely move across the borders without visa restrictions because all of us ardently wish that these physical barriers in form of borders must be abolished forthwith to further cement the age old socio-cultural and emotional ties between both the countries”. Mr Badal also urged the National Governments of India and Pakistan to relax the visa norms to an extent for allowing at least the MPS and MLAs to visit these countries without visa besides the pilgrims from both the countries may also be allowed to visit their respective holy shrines in these countries without visa. Striking a nostalgic note about his youthful days spent in Lahore while pursuing graduation in a local college there, Mr Badal said still those memories were afresh in his mind especially about the social and cultural bonds which the people shared at that time. The Chief Minister also impressed upon the Government of Pakistan to extend its approved list of 137 items traded from Attari land route to be brought at par to about6000 items being traded now through Mumbai- Karachi Sea route. He also urged the Government of Pakistan to allow transit of Goods to Afghanistan as it has already allowed trade from Afghanistan to India. He also emphasized the need to provide matching infra structure of the ICP on the other side of border in Pakistan to give a further fillip to the trade between the two countries. Mr Badal also requested Pakistan government to accord ‘Most Favoured Nation’ to India as the latter had already granted the same status to Pakistan. He said that ICP would open new vista of trade as it would be India’s gateway to Afghanistan and central Asia. He said both the Punjabs being landlocked states would be immensely benefitted from the cross border trade through the newly established ICP which would lead to quantum jump in Indo-Pak trade, expected to increase by three to four times. The Chief Minister also urged both the National Governments to allow a direct corridor from Dera Baba Nanak to the historical Gurudwara associated with SriGuru Nanak Dev Ji at Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, in view of the religious sentiments of the Sikhs, thereby facilitating the lakhs of pilgrims to pay obeisance at the holy Sikh shrine. He also requested the Government of India to extend visa facility at ICP Attari for sanctioning visa to enable the people who intend to visit Pakistan by crossing over, which would save a lot of time, money and energy, as now the people have to go all the way to Delhi for getting visa. Mr Badal also urged the GoI for bringing the Railway traffic within the ambit of ICP through its extension into the Rail track. The opening of Attari-Wagah Check Post for Road should also include Rail cargo to further boost two way trade. Likewise the Chief Minister also requested the Union Government to further extend the dedicated Rail freight corridor from Kolkatta to Ludhiana up to Attari in order to boost the cargo trade. Seeking liberal compensation or the farmers whose land is beyond border fencing Mr Badal said hat Union Home Minister must consider compensating such farmers who braving all odds at the border were filling the food kitty of border. Addressing the gathering Union Home Minister P Chindambam said that this is a historic day as India has opened its gateway of trade and prosperity to Central Asian countries that is bound to increase Indo-Pak trade four folds. He said that it is first of the 13 ICPs to be constructed on the border of Pakistan, Bangladsh and Nepal and assured that he would come back within two weeks to review whether teething problems of this ICP has been sorted out or not.
Endorsing the demand of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of free trade between both the countries, Chidambaram said that both countries were endevouring for free travel for which Joint Working group has been formed. He hoped that new liberal visa regime under the consideration of Pakistan Cabinet would fulfill most of the demands. The Union Home Minister said that both countries should also favourably consider the issue raised by Punjab CM allowing Visa free travel to elected representatives of both the countries. He said hat trade was a great driving force and appealed to both the countries to remove all trade barriers between the two countries ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for the Sub Continent. Anand Sharma the Union Commerce Minister Government of India in his address made an impassioned appeal to rise above petty conflicts and come forward to remove all trade barriers. Advocating the demand raised by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal he insisted that Pakistan should consider allowing export of all those items through ICP Attari that were being allowed through Mumbai port. He said that it would be a win-win situation for both the countries as both the sides would be largely benefitted from these trade ties. The Union insisted also said that to further cement the economic ties between both the nation multiple visas for the traders of both the countries validating upto an year would be soon issued by both the governments. In his address the Chief Minister of Eastern Punjab in Pakistan Mohamed Shahbaz Sharif emphaising the need for greater political will in the leadership of both countries said that both countries would have to rise above past bitter experience and work together for economic integration. He questioned that if European Union Countries could have a single currency, single trade agreement then why can’t India and Pakistan emulate the same. Making an emotional appeal the Pakistan Punjab Chief Minister said hat there was cultural affinity between the people of both sides of border and now India and Pakistan must launch a war on Economic excellence, trade innovation, collective power generation to attain the role of economic leader of full Asia. He said that instead of circular route for importing goods through Mumbai-Dubai-Karachi or Karachi-Singapore Mumbai why can’t both countries trade through Attari. Echoing the demand of his counterpart in Indian Punjab Parkash Singh Badal for opening Hussainiwala and Fazilka borders he said that greater participation on land route trade was better for both countries and hoped that commerce Ministers of both countries would come to an agreement on this. Lauding the role of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in popularizing the traditional game of Kabbaddi, Sharif invited Punjab’s Kabbaddi and Wrestling team to Lahore for tournaments. Addressing the gathering the Federal Commerce Minister of Pakistan Mr Makhdoom Fahim said that with the inauguration of ICP a new era of economic prosperity would herald in the region which would go a long way in removing the maladies like ooverty and unemployment faced by both the countries.
Prominent amongst those present on he occasion included Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, Union State Minister Mr Ashwani Kumar, Members of Punjab Cabinet including Bhagat Chunni Lal, Mr Bikram Singh Majithia, Mr Gulzar Singh ranike, Mr Anil Joshi, Chief Parliamentray Secretaries including Mr NK Sharma, Mr Virsa Singh Valtoha, Congress Legislative Party leader Mr Sunil Jakhar, Veteran Congress leader Mr RL Bhatia and representatives of trade and commerce body from both the countries.