Badar Alam Iqbal and Iqbal Tabish

Dr Badar Alam Iqbal is Adjunct Professor, Monarch Business School, Switzerland, and associated with the Department of Commerce, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.

Iqbal Tabish is Secretary General, SAARC Chamber of Commerce, Islamabad (Pakistan).

DOI: http://DOI Number

Keywords: Regional trade, EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, US,  India, Pakistan, GDP, SAARC, economy, trade relations

Abstract

India and Pakistan’s current consideration of bolstering the South Asian regional commercial bloc is timely. The Obama administration has attached more priority to this region and the US has been pressurising both India and Pakistan to make collaborative and concentrated efforts for the development of the South Asian region. In order to hasten South Asia’s economic and political development, the two countries must find ways to cooperate with one another and aid one another. South Asia is becoming one of the world’s most powerful regional blocs, and India’s economy is a major reason why. How can India contribute leadership to the region beyond the outmoded, bureaucratic limits of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)? Pakistan’s decision to give India MFN status is a positive first step. The data show that India, Pakistan, and the rest of South Asia will continue to grow economically in the coming years. In the not-too-distant future, three economic zones—the American Zone, which spans the Atlantic from North and South America to Europe, the Chinese Zone, which traces an arc across the Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Zone, which extends from South Asia to West Asia and Africa—would dominate the global geopolitical scene. Thus, it is crucial for India and Pakistan to maintain cordial and productive commercial ties.

First Published

June 25, 2012

How to Cite

Badar Alam Iqbal and Iqbal Tabish, “Indo-Pakistan Trade Relations: Need for Faster Improvement,” Regional Studies 30. no.3 (Summer 2012): 89-101, https://regionalstudies.com.pk/wp/article/indo-pakistan-trade-relations-need-for-faster-improvement/

Issue

Volume 30, Issue 3