A Pakistani delegation of members of parliament and traders embarked on a four-day visit to India on Wednesday to promote durable peace, harmony and expedite the flow of trade among regional countries, leader of the delegation said on Wednesday.

The 18-member delegation, led by Senator Jehangir Badar of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), told reporters at Wahga border that members of the delegation would hold meetings with counterparts to discuss promotion of trade, education, health and tourism.

The delegation was invited by Vikramjit Singh Sahney, President Chamber of Commerce and Industry of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The delegation would also participate in the 4th round of India- Pakistan parliamentarians' dialogue.

Iftikhar Ali Malik, Vice President of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan chapter, who represents Pakistan's private sector, told the media that scope of joint ventures with Indian investors would also be explored besides turning time consuming irregular trade into regular trade between both countries to save billions of dollars.

He said that visa relaxation, frequent exchange of delegations in agriculture, health, education, engineering and other allied sectors, besides transfer of technology and expertise could help improve socio-economic condition of poor strata of the region.

He said efforts would also be made to remove fears and apprehensions of Indian traders with the sole objective of rapid industrialization in both the countries without damaging their respective industries.

He stressed it was the urgent need of the hour that SAARC members must address their mutual disputes for exploiting economic potential of the region mired in poverty as no country can live in isolation in the prevailing global scenario.

Experts are of the view that disputes among the SAARC countries particularly between India and Pakistan have been hindering the success of the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA), however, the recent developments between the two countries are very encouraging.

Pakistan granted the long-awaited status of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) to India late last year to liberalize trade between the South Asia arch-rivals, who have fought three wars since their independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

India had granted Pakistan the MFN status in 1996, and Pakistan had been unwilling for the same due to non-trade barriers against its goods by India as well as the longstanding Kashmir dispute.