aIndia, Pakistan agree to enhance trade

ISLAMABAD, April 29 (AFP): India and Pakistan agreed Thursday to set up a joint working group to enhance trade, in a further move designed to ease tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals, officials said. A joint statement released by India and Pakistan's top civil servants for commerce said they decided to undertake "new initiatives" to enable the trade of electricity and petroleum products with energy-starved Pakistan. According to media reports in India this week, India plans to export petrol and diesel to Pakistan to help its rival meet massive energy needs and to open up a new market for Indian refiners. The working group will discuss a cross-border pipeline and will address the route and funding should Pakistan import electricity from across the border, Pakistani commerce secretary Zafar Mahmood told reporters.