When Md Iqbal, Ahmed Jamil and Kaleemuddin, all Pakistanis, landed in Guwahati, cops in the Assam capital were confused over what to do when they reported to the Panbazar police station last evening. The only other occasion when they had dealt with Pakistanis was in August 1999, when two Pakistani nationals, both ISI operatives, were arrested in the heart of the city.Iqbal, Kaleemuddin and Jamil, three Pakistani businessmen, are here for the 10th International Guwahati Trade Fair (IGTF) that began today. And they are the first Pakistanis in town since the Pakistan cricket team played here in 1980.‘‘We have brought a variety of items, ranging from Pakistani onyx marble products to handicrafts, table-top tiles, sarees and bangles,’’ said Iqbal, director of R.Q Traders, a Karachi-based firm. The three, together, have hired a 600 square foot stall in the fair.Jamil owns P.R Industry while Kaleemuddin is the director of Chishtia Sulemani Star, which exports onyx marble products and handicrafts worth over Rs 2 crores every year.Iqbal has been participating in the ITTF in New Delhi for over eight years. ‘‘People even in Kolkata had scared us, saying Guwahati was not a safe place,’’ pointed out Kaleemuddin. But he would love to come again.Rajesh Das, vice-president of the IGTF, is responsible for their participation in the fair. ‘‘There may be political tension but trade has to continue in the sub-continent,’’ he said. But the biggest hurdle for the Pakistanis to come to India is the withdrawal of direct flights. ‘‘That cannot stop us from coming. After all, India is our biggest market and we will come again,’’ they said.
