Pak PM Urged For Trade Talks With India To Revive Economy

Islamabad: Pakistan business leaders in an interactive session with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged him to initiate trade talks with India to promote business and commerce which would greatly benefit the economy of the cash-strapped country.

Posing tough questions during an hour-long meeting at the Sindh CM House in Pakistan's commercial capital on Wednesday, Karachi's business community appreciated the prime minister's determination to tackle economic issues but advised him to focus on bringing about political stability to "turn around" the economy.

The Prime Minister sat down with the business community to find ways to uplift the economy through exports but his resolve was met with apprehensions from industry leaders who said it was "almost impossible" to do business under the current circumstances, particularly with high energy costs and inconsistent government policies, the Dawn newspaper reported.

After the prime minister's brief speech, the house was opened for a question and answer session, during which business leaders voiced their appreciation for the government's recent moves, but made more demands.

They also shared proposals for economic policies to achieve desired results.

There was a sense of concern among the business leaders over the political instability in the country for which they even advised the Prime Minister to take initiative as the head of the government.

"You have made a few handshakes after taking charge that have produced good results and progress on the IMF deal is one of them," said Arif Habib, the chief of Arif Habib Group - a capital market giant.

They also asked the prime minister to initiate the trade talks with India, the report added.