Marking a next significant step after the recent thaw in Indo-Pak relations, India will be holding an expo in Islamabad for the first time, in March next year.
The Pakistani government has given its approval for the four-day "Indian Expo", said Rupinder Singh Sachdeva, co-chairman, Punjab Committee, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who led a delegation to the country.
The expo will have about 100 stalls showcasing Indian engineering goods, machinery and food products, and will be organised by the Delhi-based PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Indian delegation also held talks with the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on holding the expo.
"Holding Indian expos in Lahore has been a regular feature, however, it is the first time that an expo would be held in Islamabad and we desire ICCI's full cooperation to make this event a success," Sachdeva was quited as saying by Pakistani daily The Express Tribune.
India and Pakistan broke the ice recently when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Pakistan for the "Heart of Asia" summit on Afghanistan. She met various Pakistani leaders, including prime minister Nawaz Sharif and adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz.
It was then that the decision to resume the composite dialogue was announced.
"I have good news for you. The Composite Dialogue between our two countries, which later became the Resumed Dialogue, is being restarted as Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue and would have same pillars as the earlier processes," Swaraj was quoted by Dawn as telling journalists after her meeting with Aziz in Islamabad on 10 December, 2015.
In addition to including Jammu & Kashmir, Siachen, Sir Creek and counter-terrorism, the composite dialogue also made a reference to economic and commercial cooperation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sharif had met recently in Paris on the sidelines of the Climate Summit, after their meeting in the Russian city of Ufa in July.
Joint Indo-Pak events are few and far between. The latest was "Shaan-e-Pakistan", a three-day fashion show to showcase apparel and lifestyle accessories in September in New Delhi. The event saw about 150 exhibitors from both countries.
The event was organised jointly by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and High Commission of Pakistan to complement efforts of both the countries to improve trade relations between the neighbours.
"This event is on the lines of our Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's vision of peace for development and development for peace. We support and encourage this event," Muhammad Irfan Tarar, Minister (Trade) High Commission for Pakistan, said.
