US pitches for better Indo-Pak economic ties

US on Thursday urged India and Pakistan to take steps for normalising bilateral trade by removing trade barriers so as to increase the connectivity across Asia for enhancing economic relations.

“In the coming years, the most important step India can take to promote greater connectivity is to normalise trade with Pakistan ….Pakistan can play a critical role by granting non-discriminatory market access (NDMA) to India, and India can reduce non-tariff barriers to increase trade between the two countries,” Nisha Desai Biswal, US assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs, said here today.

She added that despite the “political courage” over the past few years, bilateral trade stood at just above $2.5 billion in 2013. It has the potential to grow to $10 billion.