HIGH COMMISSION OF INDIA: This is with reference to the news item “Better Indo-Pak trade ties remain as elusive as ever” (July 27), which mentions, inter alia, that India has not reduced its sensitive list (under the South Asia Free Trade Agreement).
During the talks between the commerce ministers of India and Pakistan in February 2012, it had been agreed that the commerce secretaries of the two countries would discuss reduction of the size of the sensitive lists and draw up a programme for phasing in tariff liberalisation on such items. We had hoped that this and other issues concerning liberalisation of bilateral trade would be discussed and resolved by the commerce secretaries of the two countries in May this year in a meeting, which was proposed by India, but not found convenient by Pakistan.
India wishes to have an enduring and strong economic partnership with Pakistan, which will benefit the people of both countries. We now await dates from the Government of Pakistan for the meeting of the commerce secretaries. We hope that the trade dialogue would produce fruitful forward movement at the talks.
Janardan Singh
First Secretary
Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2012.
