- ICCI president says India should lead the efforts for regional integration instead of imposing trade conditions on Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) President Ahmed Hassan Moughal on Monday called upon the Indian leadership to defuse the rising tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Pulwama incident.
“The South Asian region needs durable peace for economic prosperity and poverty alleviation,” he said while addressing a meeting of ICCI Executive Committee at the Chamber House.
He said that tensions between Pakistan and India would be harmful to local businesses, as it would discourage new investments in the region.
Ahmed Hassan Moughal said South Asia has a great potential for intra-regional trade and “India should lead the efforts for regional integration instead of imposing conditions that promote disintegration, divestment and unemployment in the region”.
ICCI Senior Vice President Rafat Farid and Vice President Iftikhar Anwar Sethi said the countries around the world were creating regional economic blocs in order to promote trade and economic development. However, South Asia was the least integrated region due to tense relations between some regional countries, they deplored.
The ICCI office-bearers said India should show maturity and play its due role in creating a strong economic bloc in South Asia with an aim to reduce poverty and uplift the living standards of the people.
