Pakistan commerce minister to visit India on Wednesday
The Asian automaker is trying to burnish a reputation for quality and banish the jibes of the past, when its Accent sub-compact was dubbed the "Accident" and its boxy Trajet 7-seater the "Tragic".
With an aim to boost trade ties, commerce minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim will travel to India with a 250-member delegation on Wednesday to attend the Lifestyle Pakistan exhibition in New Delhi.
The delegation, which will include officials of the Commerce Ministry and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and members of the business community, will take part in the four-day event being organised from April 12 to normalise trade relations between the two countries.
Officials of the Commerce Ministry said Pakistan was organising the exhibition in India for the first time and businessmen from different sectors would showcase a wide array of products ranging from designer garments to spices.
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry will arrange business-to-business and interactive sessions to help Pakistani traders explore opportunities in India.
The Commerce Ministry and TDAP would also organise a cultural evening and a dinner in New Delhi.
Pakistan recently switched over to a negative list regime for trade, paving the way for giving India Most Favoured Nation-status by the beginning of next year.
The two countries have taken several steps to normalise trade relations since they resumed their peace process last year after a gap of over two years in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The India Show, the largest ever India-specific exhibition organised in Pakistan, was held in Lahore in February.
About 60,000 people visited the three-day event.
Some 110 stalls showcased products as diverse as jewellery, cosmetics, chemicals, textiles, auto components, handicrafts and engineering goods.
India and Pakistan have said they intend to boost bilateral trade from the current level of about $2 billion to $ 6 billion by 2014.