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Bangladesh and Pakistan are missing out on scope to increase annual bilateral trade to $1 billion from $330 million now simply because of the "negative attitudes" toward each other, trade experts said Saturday.

The "negative attitudes" pervasive among government officials and entrepreneurs of the two nations are the culprit, they said. A speaker explained it this way: "In attitude we are still in 1972." A target of reaching $1 billion in annual trade has been fixed by a joint official body of the two nations but the notion could not get through despite a huge potential to grow, said Pakistan high commissioner to Bangladesh Alamgir Bashar Khan Babar told a discussion.

"Despite having potential, trade between Bangladesh and Pakistan stands at $330 million, but it is far from the $1 billion target set at a joint economic meeting," Babar said. The current trade volume is heavily favourbale to Pakistan.

In 2006-07, Pakistan exported $195 million to Bangladesh and imported Bangladeshi goods of $61.06 million. Pakistan mainly exports textile products and raw materials including cotton, fruits and others to Bangladesh while it buys jute and jute products, tea and pharmaceuticals from Bangladesh.

To narrow the gap, the speakers asked Pakistan to allow duty-free access for Bangladeshi products to its market. The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka and the FBCCI organised the discussion on "Bangladesh-Pakistan Trade Opportunities under SAFTA" at the federation's building.

Former SAARC secretary general QAMA Rahim said the government officials and the entrepreneurs of the two countries have mutual "negative attitudes" toward each other. Rahim said: "We are still in 1972 in terms of attitude." FBCCI administrator Syed Manzur Elahi said Pakistan should allow duty-free access for Bangladeshi products to its market.

Elahi who chaired the discussion said: "The signing of a bilateral free trade agreement between Bangladesh and Pakistan is high on agenda." "But it is necessary to reduce the existing trade gap before conclusion of a bilateral FTA with provisions for duty-free quota-free access of selected export items from Bangladesh," he said.

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