Wagah throws open a sea of opportunities

Opportunities for trade via Wagah have vastly increased, largely owing to the changing economic environment and greater degree of market orientation in India and Pakistan. Prospects of further improvement are bright because Pakistan has made the road to Wagah four-lane.

However, as far as amenities at Wagah on the Indian side are concerned, there is scope for improvement.

The Pakistan government has allowed five items""onions, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, and meat and livestock (including buffaloes, cows, goats, sheep and camels)""to be imported duty-free from India through the Wagah land route.

A highly-placed source said, "We talk about bilateral trade, but here there is only one gate both for trade and passenger movement." Sources said trucks were still not allowed to enter each other's territory.

"There are about 700 porters at Wagah to receive and transfer goods without entering each other's territory," the source said.

In 2004-05, about 16,000 tonnes of dry fruits were imported, worth Rs 150 crore, via Wagah, while in 2005-06 (up to November) it was about 10,500 tonnes, again dry fruits, worth Rs 100 crore.

From July to November this year, about 1,650 tonnes, including garlic, potato, ginger and frozen meat, were exported through this route.

In 2004-05, about 52,000 people crossed the Wagah border, comprising Indians, Pakistanis and nationals of other countries. In 2005-06, it was around 30,000, apart from the passengers of the Delhi-Lahore Bus.

An official said, "There should be an upgraded X-ray scanner that can scan a truck in one go; in the absence of such machines, only samples are scanned."

Although the Pakistan government has allowed the import of livestock from India, there is hardly any quarantine facility here. In the absence of these facilities, local exporters are not willing to export because they have to collect test certificates from Delhi, which is not a viable option.

A trader said, "Trade should be done for at least 8 hours a day. Now it is restricted to six hours, from 10 am to 4 pm."