PHOTO: ADB
ISLAMABAD: As India decided to review the ‘Most Favoured Nation’ (MFN) status it gave to Pakistan in 1996, the Senate on Tuesday called for revoking Islamabad’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with New Delhi and reviewing the latter’s membership in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) if it unilaterally nullifies the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
“India wants to up the ante — there should be a tit for tat response,” said Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani during debate on an adjournment motion moved by Senator Sherry Rehman regarding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement threatening to do away with IWT, also known as the Indus Basin Treaty. “India cannot revoke Indus Basin Treaty unilaterally. Annulment of the treaty will be considered a violation of international law,” he remarked.
Modi set to review Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan
Demanding that Pakistani authorities pay India in the same coin, the Senate chairman said “we should consider reviewing India’s Saarc membership. What is the need to import Indian films in Pakistan? What is the need of a free trade policy with India? If this is what India wants, let the ante be upped!”
He referred the matter to the Senate committee concerned with directions to submit a related report by October 3.
Earlier, during a related debate, Leader of Opposition in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan took on Rabbani. “Mr Chairman, unlike usual, today you have been very soft. India threatens to stop our water and we should stop just its films? It is an act of war and we have to act,” Ahsan said.
This prompted an immediate clarification from Rabbani. “I think I did not properly explain. Yes, it is an act of war. I tended to imply that.”
Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed took on the Indian premier. “Modi is acting like an irresponsible head of a rogue state. If India unilaterally cancels an international agreement — it is a rogue state.” He requested the Senate chairman to invite the Inter-Services Intelligence chief to brief the House on recent tensions with India and Pakistan’s operational preparedness. He demanded a joint session of Parliament to discuss tense relations with India and the situation in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
Others including Salahuddin Tirmizi, Sirajul Haq, Sherry Rehman, Sehar Kamran, Mushahidullah Khan, Taj Haider, Muzaffar Hussain Shah and Azam Swati also strongly criticised India.
Indian prime minister reviews Indus Waters Treaty
Meanwhile, Modi on Tuesday decided to review Pakistan’s MFN status a day after deciding to review IWT. According to the Times of India, the Indian premier will chair a meeting on the issue on Thursday.
India accorded MFN status to Pakistan in 1996 under the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Both India and Pakistan are signatories to this which means they have to treat each other and other WTO members as favoured trading partners.
Govt, opposition exchange barbs
Tuesday’s otherwise smooth Senate proceedings took an unexpected turn when Pakistan Peoples Party’s Taj Haider slammed the federal government’s economic policies and its style of governance. “They took foreign loans exceeding five billion rupees. Does anybody have any idea where the money has gone? There is no progress and prosperity. Instead, there are tales of rampant corruption and mal-governance,” he said.
This infuriated Mushahidullah Khan. “Don’t talk about corruption. You [PPP] people are world champions in corruption,” he hit back. “A court took on Faryal Talpur for mega corruption. Ayyan Ali, a model was trying to smuggle Rs50 million but was arrested at the airport. Guess who went to see her off at the airport?”
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2016.
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