India-Pakistan conflict 2019 | Importance of building strong civilian and trade ties

[Bhaijaan]

IMPORTANCE OF TRADE
India-China have had a tense border dispute for decades but since 1962 there has not been a single war and one of the major reasons for that in modern times is probably the huge trade between India and China. Currently standing at over 80 billion USD with potential of increasing my many folds in the near future. Trade and inter-dependence is what keeps us in peace with each other.

IMPORTANCE OF CIVILIAN TIES
When civilians form healthy relationships, they become ambassadors and huge influencers. We all applauded Imran Khan's level headed approach last week. You would always expect it from a man of his class but it's also not wrong to assume that his stance towards India as a politician is influenced much by his respectful and healthy relationships with Indians as a cricketer. Imran and Wasim have been two Pakistani cricketers who always got along well with Indian cricketers, media and fans all alike. They have visited India many times as cricketers as well as post retirement as expert celebrities. Indians rolled out the red carpet for Imran always because he was a class act and said the appreciable things always. The way he behaved during last few weeks, i could not have expected a Musharaf or a Nawaz Shareef to act like that.



It is clear, and proven by history, nations have less conflict if their people have cordial relatioships and have strong trade ties. What we are doing though? We have doing no trade and we are doing all in our capacity to harm civilian relationships.

This needs to change.

Things will remain like this for as long as we keep this distance.

We need to talk, we need to play sports, we need to do a lot of trade.

 

[PakLFC]

But you have stopped sending us tomatoes

 

[rhony]

Wait till the elections are over. I think there will be a change. Pak seems to have found a leader that knows when to carry a stick or a carrot. He is also very influential. The same people in Pakistan who screamed nuclear war are talking about peace now. If Azhar is indeed dead, that's Imran throwing Modi another lifeline and that's very smart.

There is only one party in India that can win the election outright and it's BJP. It's easier to deal with such a majority than a bunch of coalition dummies that can't make any decisions. Also BJP will definitely be a very strong opposition and will thwart any peace overtures from a coalition govt. On the other hand, BJP will react to Imran's gestures in a positive way after elections. That's my hunch.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Wait till the elections are over. I think there will be a change. Pak seems to have found a leader that knows when to carry a stick or a carrot. He is also very influential. The same people in Pakistan who screamed nuclear war are talking about peace now. If Azhar is indeed dead, that's Imran throwing Modi another lifeline and that's very smart.

There is only one party in India that can win the election outright and it's BJP. It's easier to deal with such a majority than a bunch of coalition dummies that can't make any decisions. Also BJP will definitely be a very strong opposition and will thwart any peace overtures from a coalition govt. On the other hand, BJP will react to Imran's gestures in a positive way after elections. That's my hunch.

By hook or crook, BJP will hold on to power till 2024 elections. For Congress to re-merge as India's single last party they need a sizable portion of the hindu vote bank to ditch BJP. They are half way there as they managed to sweep the hindi heartland from right under BJP's nose in 2018. Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh all chose Congress over BJP. So Congress is definitely getting into the groove under Rahul Gandhi but it might not be enough to swing the polls in their favour in 2019.

The nationalist wave has unfortunately hit us just a couple of months before elections and despite getting whooped by PAF, Modi and the entire Indian media will present a false picture to Indian voters to show Modi as a Savior. If the media was honest, this alone was enough to dislodge any party from power.

 

[rhony]

By hook or crook, BJP will hold on to power till 2024 elections. For Congress to re-merge as India's single last party they need a sizable portion of the hindu vote bank to ditch BJP. They are half way there as they managed to sweep the hindi heartland from right under BJP's nose in 2018. Rajasthan, Chhatisgarh, Madhya Pradesh all chose Congress over BJP. So Congress is definitely getting into the groove under Rahul Gandhi but it might not be enough to swing the polls in their favour in 2019.

The nationalist wave has unfortunately hit us just a couple of months before elections and despite getting whooped by PAF, Modi and the entire Indian media will present a false picture to Indian voters to show Modi as a Savior. If the media was honest, this alone was enough to dislodge any party from power.

I watched the state elections keenly but there is evidence in the past that voters can choose BJP when it comes to National elections. Contrary to popular opinion, I think it will be better for Pak vs India relations if Modi comes to power. The person who galvanises his troops against the enemy, is the one that can influence the other way as well. A lame duck coalition govt. won't be able to do that.

 

[last_knight]

As I said in another thread, best way for Indo-Pak goes through ICC.

 

[Blistering Barnacle]

Well, it's kind of hard to establish ties when the Indian govt is unwilling.

Pak has made some conciliatory statements recently that they will go after any potential terrorists operating on their soil.

Hopefully that can lead to some productive steps in re-establishing normal relations and eventually the sorts of things you envisage.

 

[Savak]

I am personally not in favor of any ties for the time being. Certainly not after the comments made by Bollywood and the Indian Cricketing fraternity against Pakistan as a country. Some of these people were looked up to by the people of Pakistan. Yes the Pulwama episode was a tragedy which triggered strong emotions but to target a country and its entire people to this hateful level without solid proof, without investigation and to be the judge, jury, executioner and then to go all out to lead an international boycott of a country and its people and make non-stop statements in the media against it.

This is very personal and unless a genuine apology is tendered from India, Pakistan should refuse to have anything to do with the country. Its all about self respect and pride now.

 

[rhony]

As I said earlier, wait until the elections. I'm an avid reader of global times, state run Chinese media. The rhetoric about India has clearly changed since the Americans started the tarriff war. India sees this an an opportunity as well. There is a huge push in Indo China trade that is mutually beneficial. Chinese need to build to keep their growth and India needs infrastructure investments.

This is the reason why China more or less stayed neutral so far in this mini battle. This will happen after the elections because Modi doesn't want to be seen as a Chinese stooge just before the elections in front of his own people who ironically tweet anti China comments from their Chinese phones.

This will in turn help India Pakistan relationships. Imran, based on what I saw so far, doesn't want anything that destabilizes his country as the economy is really in dire straits. Pak Army understands this too. India needs to keep the GDP numbers up to keep the investments coming and building is the easiest way. China will be the mediator in the background between two strong leaders Imran and Modi. This is of course only if Modi wins. He and his party will do the exact opposite and raise hell if a.coalition govt is at the helm and starts the peace and trade process.

 

[ElRaja]

This needs to change.

Things will remain like this for as long as we keep this distance.

We need to talk, we need to play sports, we need to do a lot of trade.

not right now. Pakistan have wanted this for the longest time but it is India who has always looked to isolate Pakistan on every stage.

the Pakistani economy is too small to be an partner of equivalence to India, tomorrow any random attack in India happens India will cease all relations with Pakistan because blaming Pakistan for everything has historically been the prevalent modus operandi.

any cessation of trade, and possible fallout from India leveraging greater integration in the Pakistani economy would leave Pakistan more precariously exposed to Indian machinations.

until the kashmir issue is sorted and the prevalent flavour of right wing hindu politics has not passed, i would think it best for Pakistan to keep trade interactions to those with explicit remits possible and keep economic integration to a minimum.

 

[giri26]

Consignments of sports goods from Pakistan unclaimed at the border post after high import duty

NEW DELHI: When Sachin Tendulkar suggested that India should play Pakistan in the cricket World Cup despite the hostilities along the border, it ruffled many feathers, but there were also many to defend him. But there’s no one to defend the Sachin lying unattended on the Attari-Wagah border.

Consignments of Sachin branded hockey sticks, among the most sought after in India, as well as other sports goods from Pakistan are unclaimed at the border post. After the Pulwama terror attack, India withdrew most-favoured nation status to Pakistan and imposed 200% customs duty on imports. Indian importers that had placed orders aren’t willing to pay the increased duty and take delivery of consignments.

Imports from Pakistan have come to a standstill, said several dealers in Jalandhar, Punjab, the main hub in India for the import and distribution of sports goods from across the border.

Pakistan, one of the top producers of high-quality sports goods, supplies products ranging from balls for soccer, volleyball, cricket and rugby to hockey sticks, pads, gloves, nets, sportswear and other accessories to brands globally.
India imports many of these items as well as products such as surgical instruments and finished leather from the neighbouring country. The Sachin brand of hockey sticks are made of lightweight composite materials.

Malik and Ehsaan are among the other top hockey stick brands imported from Pakistan.

“The business has come to a halt. It is prudent to return the consignments ordered and paid for, rather than paying over 200% duty,” said Rahul Bhardwaj, who runs an exclusive, authorised Sachin dealership in Jalandhar besides exporting sports goods to Bangladesh.

“A consignment which was worth $6,000 would now cost us (another) $12,000 if I were to pay the customs duty.”
A Sachin hockey stick normally costs about Rs 1,200. Bhardwaj said his company, Ar Vee International, imported close to 2,000 Sachin sticks per month on average.
“Besides hockey sticks, the import of all other sports goods including gym gloves and finished leather used to manufacture shoes has also been abandoned,” said Rahul Sharma of Rai & Co.

Indian importers don’t expect any rollback of the increased duty at least until the elections. They have instead made “local arrangements” to manufacture hockey sticks, said Virender Kumar Sharma, another sports goods dealer in the city.

“The demand for superior quality hockey sticks in a country whose national game is hockey is massive,” he said. “We cannot wait for the lifting of customs duty indefinitely, as a result of which we have decided to make arrangements to manufacture them.”

The Pakistani company that manufacturers the Sachin brand of hockey sticks is said to be owned by a Sialkotbased Hindu businessman, who named it after his son, according to a dealer.

The brand gained popularity in the past two years because of its superior quality, he said.

Besides sports goods, other imports from Pakistan include surgical instruments such as scissors, forceps, needle holders and retractors. Some of these are then exported to African countries.

Most importers in India are based in Jalandhar and receive surgical instruments from across the border, mainly through the Samjhauta Express train that runs between Delhi and Lahore.

Dealers in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and elsewhere import surgical instruments directly from Sialkot, the manufacturing hub in Pakistan.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/ec...ter-high-import-duty/articleshow/68263180.cms