Jun 22, 2005. /Lesprom Network/. Pakistani manufacturers have asked the government not to allow import of paper from India as it would be "disastrous" for the country's industry. The call was made at a seminar organised at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday. Pakistan's paper industry comprising 100 units was no match for its Indian counterpart consisting of 515 units, convener of chamber's standing committee on paper Shamim Ahmad said, opposing the decision to import Indian paper. The Indian industry was not only larger than that of Pakistan but it was also technologically advanced, he was quoted as saying by media reports here. The high input costs also made it impossible for the local industry to compete with India's, he said and asked the government not to remove paper from the negative list of importable items from India. Pakistan Paper Pulp and Board Manufacturers Association chairman Kamran Khan said the country's paper industry was labour-cum-capital intensive with over a $1 billion investment. It was substituting $300 million imports annually and was providing direct and indirect employment to more than 100,000 people in the country. Removal of paper from the negative list of items importable from India would be "disastrous" for the Pakistan industry, he claimed.