Economists and businessmen from India and Pakistan Tuesday said the two countries should make each other their Most Favored Nation (MFN) for trade and back it up by slashing high tariffs and such barriers.

Meeting unofficially ahead of next Sunday's upcoming India-Pakistan summit, these experts made several bold suggestions including opening the link road at the Wagah check-post to commercial traffic and striking business partnerships.

The experts, who met at a conference called here by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), also recommended easy visa regulations to facilitate easy passage of business interests across the border.

A working group on agriculture said India and Pakistan should "work jointly to fight" the challenges to domestic capital from global business that are entering their markets since they joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) treaty.

"After all, the two countries are facing similar problems of population, poverty and outdated technologies," a release from the group said referring to demographic factors slowing their economies against international competition.

Such steps would open Pakistan to Indian tea, coffee and wheat, and India to Pakistani spices, paddy and herbal medicines, said the experts. The two nations could share research and development in agriculture and biochemistry.

The experts also supported transfer of know-how in science and technology.