India is not worried over the USD 46-billion economic corridor between Pakistan and China as an economically strong Pakistan would bring regional stability, India's envoy said today, underlining the need to remove misperception and restore mutual trust between the two nations.
Indian High Commissioner T C A Raghavan, addressing a meeting of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KPCCI) here, said India also has no problem over the growing relations between Pakistan-Iran-China and Afghanistan.
"There is a need to remove mis-perception between Pakistan and India for the restoration of mutual trust," he said.
This is the first visit by any Indian High Commissioner to KPCCI during last nine years after Shivshankar Menon visited the KPCCI twice in 2006.
"India has no worry over the construction of Pakistan-China Economic Corridor as an economically strong Pakistan would bring stability in the region," he said.
The 3,000-km corridor linking China's far-western region to Pakistan's south-western Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is massive project of road, rail, energy schemes, pipelines and investment parks.
He acknowledged that Pakistan has very good relations with China, however, he said India-China relations are stable too.
Trade volume between India-China reached to USD 70 billion mark and India also bought power generation equipment from China.
Emphasising on increasing volume of bilateral trade between India and Pakistan, he said the goal can be achieved "if we treat each other as a normal trade partner."
"India and Pakistan should behave like normal trading partners. Peace and security in Pakistan is important for economic growth of both Pakistan as well as India alike.
"Fears that enhanced trade with India would result in Indian goods flooding Pakistani market, rendering local traders out of business, is misplaced," he said.
He said trade between India and China was equal as was between India and Pakistan in the year 2000, ranging between USD 100 million dollars.
However now, he said, after passage of 14 years, the trade volume between India and China has jumped to USD 65 to 70 billion while trade between India and Pakistan is around USD 2.5 to 2.9 billion.
He said boost in trade between India and China is a good example as how barriers were removed and both the countries focused on trade and commercial activities in the larger interest of their people.
