 "Nawaz Sharif's brother here from tomorrow, eyes business ties")
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, also chief minister of Punjab province, is coming for a four-day trip to India, starting Thursday.
He would lead a high-powered business delegation, exploring investment opportunities in northern India across the agriculture, power, railway and energy sectors.
Sharif, considered a key advisor to his brother, is visiting India for the first time. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma, to discuss a wide range of issues, from trade to counter-terrorism, diplomatic sources told Business Standard.
Sharif, in India till Sunday, will be accompanied by their minister of state for commerce and textiles, Khurram Dastgir Khan, and businessmen from various industries who plan to "invest heavily through joint collaborations" in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bathinda, sources said.
Sharif is expected to discuss Pakistan’s stand on normalising trade and business ties with India, culminating in officially granting the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ trade status. The deadline for this was December 2012.
Bilateral trade reached $2.5 billion in 2012-13, with a set target of $6 billion this year. This seems unlikely, with trade and business talks having taken a hit after a series of ceasefire violations on the border.
Addressing the Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Islamabad on Tuesday, Pakistan PM Sharif stressed his government wanted to ensure “safety, security and stability” with neighbours. He said it was imperative for the development of Pakistan’s economy to have stronger business and trade ties with India and China.
It is expected that Shahbaz Sharif will again proffer an invitation from the Pak government to PM Singh, for a visit.
He would lead a high-powered business delegation, exploring investment opportunities in northern India across the agriculture, power, railway and energy sectors.
Sharif, considered a key advisor to his brother, is visiting India for the first time. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma, to discuss a wide range of issues, from trade to counter-terrorism, diplomatic sources told Business Standard.
More From This Section
He is also scheduled to visit NTPC’s Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Project (1,500 Mw) at Jhajjar, Haryana, and Punjab State Power Corporation’s 450-Mw Guru Nanak Dev thermal plant in Bathinda.
Sharif, in India till Sunday, will be accompanied by their minister of state for commerce and textiles, Khurram Dastgir Khan, and businessmen from various industries who plan to "invest heavily through joint collaborations" in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bathinda, sources said.
Sharif is expected to discuss Pakistan’s stand on normalising trade and business ties with India, culminating in officially granting the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ trade status. The deadline for this was December 2012.
Bilateral trade reached $2.5 billion in 2012-13, with a set target of $6 billion this year. This seems unlikely, with trade and business talks having taken a hit after a series of ceasefire violations on the border.
Addressing the Asian Parliamentary Assembly in Islamabad on Tuesday, Pakistan PM Sharif stressed his government wanted to ensure “safety, security and stability” with neighbours. He said it was imperative for the development of Pakistan’s economy to have stronger business and trade ties with India and China.
It is expected that Shahbaz Sharif will again proffer an invitation from the Pak government to PM Singh, for a visit.