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Pak keen to co-operate with India in IT

Pakistan on Friday expressed its keenness to co-operate with India to develop its information technology sector.

"India has done extremely well in IT sector and has become a leader in this sector. We see nothing wrong in getting together in IT sector. We will welcome it," Pakistan's Commerce, Industry and Production Minister Abdul Razak Dawood said in New Delhi.

Dawood said that Pakistan itself was keen on IT sector, and pointed out that it was in the process of setting up technology parks.

"Our state life insurance owns prime properties and we are establishing technology parks at some of them," he said.

He said some Indian entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, under the aegis of The Indus Entrepreneurs, had already contacted Pakistani IT experts to work on a strategy to develop the industry in Pakistan.

"They, in fact, met our President Gen Pervez Musharraf to discuss the strategy that should be adopted for the development of the sector," he added.

Granting MFN status to India 'pointless'

Pakistan Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood said on Friday that granting reciprocal most favoured nation status to India at this time was pointless unless some of the speed breakers in the bilateral relationship were addressed.

Answering questions during an interactive session organised by FICCI in New Delhi, he said that though India had granted MFN status to Pakistan, "our products still have problems getting in".

"I ask you a question. You have given us the MFN status, but our products do not get here, they are held up. Giving MFN is pointless without removal of all the speed breakers," he said.

"We have to sit across the table and sort out the tariffs and other issues," he added.

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