Speakers says two-day conference will prove to be a defining moment in Indo-Pak history; Jang Group’s Shahrukh Hasan, Times of India’s Rahul Kansal, CII President Adi Godrej, PBC chief Asad Umar and CII DG Chandrajit Banerjee express views on first day of moot
By Mansoor Ahmed & Moayyed Jafri
LAHORE: The inaugural session of the 2nd Aman Ki Asha Economic Conference kicked off with booming intent and visionary approaches aimed at finding innovative solutions and profitable bilateral business proposals.
Amidst a constellation of big guns including the prime minister, governor, leading businessmen and socialites and media persons from both countries, the proceedings began with recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by the National Anthem.
A special documentary regarding the road to pursuance of peace through people-to-people contact by the Aman Ki Asha was shown. The documentary mentioned how the movement has achieved a lot already by changing the mindsets of the people on both sides of the border, revealing that India has managed to lessen negative sentiments regarding Pakistan in the public from 70 percent to 42 percent.
Shahrukh Hasan of the Jang Group of Newspapers, in his welcome address, said that the Aman Ki Asha peace initiative and the magnificent gathering of the economic and civil society leaders from both countries truly exhibited a break from the past, in an attempt to bring in a new era of peace and prosperity not just for Pakistan and India but for the entire region. “It is a historic moment in a historic city to create history,” he said.
The conference, he said, was held under the canopy of Aman Ki Asha that was like a great big banyan tree with its branches going down into the ground forming new roots.
He said that this was the second Aman Ki Asha Economic Conference, the first one having been held in Delhi in 2010. “It is proof of the success of the first conference that the second conference is being held in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry and Pakistan Business Council,” he remarked, thanking them for their support.
He also thanked President of Pakistan-India CEOs Forum Amin Hashwani for being an invaluable and integral part of the conference preparations, and former governor State Bank Dr Ishrat Hussain who is the chairman of the organising committee and all members of the organising committee. He also extended a token of thanks to the sponsors of the event, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and the National Bank of Pakistan.
Shahrukh Hasan highlighted the changes that have been brought about by the Aman Ki Asha initiative ever since it first began in January 2010 by aggressively promoting the dividends of peace and by creating awareness of disutility of conflict, animosity and distrust, which had affected bilateral relations for decades. He mentioned that the recent meetings between the ministers and secretaries of commerce had greatly helped promote trade between the two countries as well.
Commending the government’s support, he said the granting of MFN status by the government of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani was a huge leap forward for the people of both countries.
Regarding the global perspective, he said that at a time when global economies were in turbulent waters, the world was looking towards Asia and to the icons assembling in this conference for leadership and inspiration. Similarly, while the media in the West lay shattered, it was South Asia that the world was looking towards for vision and for the drive and determination through projects such as the Aman Ki Asha campaign.
Reflecting on the past, he said the people of the subcontinent have struggled far too long in the political domain moving forward and backwards and sideways while sometimes not moving at all. This, he said, could not happen in the economic sphere because trade and investment open doors not just for peace and prosperity but also for ideas and dreams.
Underscoring the importance of picking Lahore as the venue for the conference, he said it was very significant that the conference was being held in the provincial capital. “For ages Delhi and Lahore have epitomised the glory of South Asia, and when one walks through the streets of these two cities we walk with the memories of the countless who migrated to both sides decades ago,” he said, adding that Lahore was still the lost paradise for many in India. He called on the participants of the conference to, at least for the next two days, leave the world behind and register historical moments.
Executive President of the Times of India Group Rahul Kansal said the massive people-to-people movement Aman Ki Asha had been launched two years ago that dared to look beyond political boundaries and aimed at bridging ancient bonds. He accepted that there were legitimate difference between the two countries, but added that the two countries should not remain hostage to these differences.
“Aman Ki Asha was launched, seeking to find our ways beyond these boundaries believing that there must be a second track to the peace process,” he said, adding that the media could be an effective way to mobilise the civil society.
Sharing the vision of the Aman Ki Asha movement, he said that over two years the movement had embarked on two main plans i.e. culture and commerce. Cultural linkage had been developed through festivals, where leading singers shared a common stage, food festivals and food exchange programs and health camps were set up, and where people come together to play their part in changing mindsets ushering a new willingness to talk and move even closer. “It’s only when you put your money where your mouth is, that it makes a real difference. History is testimony to the fact that only when two forces develop a significant economic stake in each other, war becomes not an option and peace becomes inevitable,” he said, emphasising the importance of trade in bilateral relations. It was this idea, he claimed, that “made us launch the first economic conference in 2010.” Six major sectors for trade and investment were identified over which discussions and dialogue were initiated between proponents of industry at both ends, who made recommendations to their respective governments.
He expressed his contentment with the fact that in the last three to four months, significant and encouraging movement along these recommended lines had been made with issues such as the MFN status, Foreign Direct Investment and better infrastructure. He believed that significant progress had been made on all these fronts, and that this second conference was being held in the backdrop of this building momentum for bringing about positive change.
Terming the conference as a historic moment, he said it would be a pity if these two days would not be used to convert promise to concrete potential.
Asad Umar. President Pakistan Business Council (PBC), while fully supporting the initiative undertaken by Aman Ki Asha for free trade with India, said that the business community in Pakistan believed that its voice was not being heard across the border in the removal of non-tariff barriers. Addressing the inaugural session of Aman Ki Asha, he said the PBC favoured improved trading relations in this region particularly trade with India. He said the Forum comprising all large business groups of the country including multinationals succeeded in obtaining the support of the four largest parties in the National Assembly for free trade with India.
“It is our considered opinion that we must structure a well-thought-out approach in this regard,” he said, adding that planners on both sides would have to ensure that as trade improved, its benefits were felt on both sides of the border.
He said India had not yet removed many non-tariff barriers such as the ones imposed on cement exports from Pakistan. Similarly, he added that India had yet to ease its rigid visa regime. There was also an issue of preferential trade agreements that India signed with two major regional countries Bangladesh and Sri Lanka under which their textiles were imported with much less duties than those imposed on Pakistani textiles. He asserted that the Indian approach in the region should not be different to its treatment of Pakistan.
He said the atmosphere of goodwill created in recent years might not last long if the dividends of trade were not shared. He hoped that the thrust of peace would gain momentum through fair trade practices by both sides.
President of Confederation of Indian Industry Adi Godrej, meanwhile, said that the CII was proud to be part of Aman Ki Asha and favoured free trade between India and Pakistan – the two largest economies of South Asia.
In his address as the head of the high-powered Indian trade delegation at Aman Ki Asha conference, he affirmed that the growth potential in trade between the two countries was very high. Some of the lucrative sectors of growth included textiles, agriculture, energy, IT and healthcare. “CII is not only promoting Indian exports to Pakistan but is also encouraging its members to import goods from Pakistan,” he said.
He admitted that many trade-related issues still remained to be resolved. However, he added, that since April 2011 there has been a lot of progress in this regard. He said that the resolution of issues related to non-trade barriers would greatly help foster trade.
Godrej said that an 80-member Indian delegation currently visiting Pakistan would explore the trade potential between the two countries. “In the changing economic dynamics, we should explore the investment opportunities in the region,” he said. He added that it was now up to the businessmen of both countries to make better use of this opportunity.
Wrapping up the first inaugural session, CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee appreciated mutual efforts made by the Jang Group and The Times of India to gather the stakeholders at the 2nd Economic Conference. He said that stakeholders had gathered at the first economic conference held at Delhi, and had come back to enhance bilateral businesses and trade. He observed that Pakistan had shown its absolute commitment with peace and dialogue and to increase the bilateral trade to $10 billion.
He said that for the last two years since the Aman Ki Asha first began, a large number of delegations from different walks of life were exchanged to increase people-to-people contacts to end misperceptions and tangible results were also achieved. “We have huge expectations of the people involved in the peace process,” he maintained. He observed that the opening of the Integrated Check-Post (ICP) at the Wagah-Attari border, Pakistan’s granting of MFN status to India together with the gradual phasing out of the negative list all reaffirmed commitments made by both governments.
