NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday denied that it had backtracked on giving India Most Favoured Nation (MFN) trade status.
"Pakistan is not backtracking," said foreign office spokeswoman Tehmina Janjua after a senior Indian official earlier said Pakistan was bowing to domestic business interests opposed to finalising MFN status.
(Read: Business community welcomes MFN status to India)
"Pakistan clearly stated that our cabinet gave approval to move forward on MFN status in principle," she said.
Reuters had earlier quoted a senior Indian government source stating that Pakistan had backtracked on granting MFN status to India.
"From the initial announcement of an unconditional grant of an MFN, there appears to be a clear backtrack," the source had said.
Wednesday's announcement was trumpeted on both sides as a milestone in improving fragile relations between the two countries.
India and Pakistan may be home to some 1.4 billion people but bilateral trade flows are paltry, a legacy of mistrust between the neighbours.
The hope is that an increase in trade will feed into wider trust between the two countries and help the rivals resolve major flashpoints like the disputed Kashmir region, although a solution to this problem has proved intractable for decades.
The two sides have also pledged to liberalise restrictions on business visas, curb non-tariff barriers and bolster trade on their land border. As things stand, exporters are forced to route many goods via third parties such as Dubai, slowing delivery times and upping costs.
Less than one percent of India's merchandise exports are sold to Pakistan, in terms of dollar value, but in September a joint statement pledged to double bilateral trade flows within three years to about $6 billion.
COMMENTS (29)
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@Adil Exactly my point. Why do you believe that Indian Media has stooped so low? These are the fringes of the media and anyways the news they cover about Pakistan must not be even 0.5% of their coverage.
P.S.: On a personal note, I do not agree with you regarding Afridi's comments being sensationalised by media. I am re-printing his comments below so that you can see it from my viewpoint on why an Indian will find them offending:
"In my opinion, if I have to tell the truth, they (Indians) will never have hearts like Muslims and Pakistanis. I don’t think they have the large and clean hearts that Allah has given us."
If Dhoni would have said the same, I doubt Pakistani media would have been benevolent on him.
@Adil Indian Media may be caustic, but then which country's media is not? Would you say by any chance that Zaid Hamid is less paranoid?
@Adil: I agree Indian Media bashes Pakistan at the drop of a hat. However its rather easy to blame the media instead of actually looking at the actions of your country. The stark change in attitude of the Indian media has come since Kargil as well as more recently the mumbai attacks. During Kargil Pakistan undertook a military operation in Kashmir on one hand while trying to pretend to be peaceful and have a good relationship with India on the other.
The mumbai attacks cemented this trust deficit. After the Mumbai attacks though the Indian media blamed Pakistani nationals prematurely, they were eventually right and Pakistan denied any involvement and had supposed defence analysts like Zaid Hamid talking nonsense that these terrorists had saffron bands on their hands and were hindu terrorists and spoke of RAW involvement. This was all proved otherwise by the Pakistani media aswell. The Indian media now has a capitalistic model which functions on TRP ratings thus they are sensationalistic in nature. Agreed Indian media doesnt have many morals however India gave Pakistan MFN status a long time back but Pakistan is still not giving a clear response. Dont blame the media blame your leaders who cant give a clear msg. Why should the Indian media trust the Pakistani leaders if Pakistani people themselves dont trust their leaders.
Sometimes I wonder how low Indian media outlets can get. Now they are trying to create more confusion and disturbance with such news. This all confusion news were orchestrated by Indian newspapers. Accusing Gaddhafi of spitting venom against India without showing his actual speech about Kashmir Dispute in 2009, using pathetic and offensive words against Pakistan in their articles, and not even sparing Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi due to their comments, these are the few cases where bias and myopic attitude on behalf of Indian media can easily be witnessed. The Aman ki Asha campaign was/is a mere waste since Indian media will neither abandon their usual tone nor will leave Pak-bashing anytime soon. Given the current nature and trend in their outlets, Indian media have already embarked upon a route which could be labelled as Neo-Fascism.
Do people in pakistan really think, that india even cares about this ???/ Well rest assure, they don't!!!! India has too many major partners in global trade, to worry about pakistan !!!!
There is no confusion in Pak govt and establishment circles. Some newspapers and news agencies have taken the qoutes of ill-informed officials and that is it.
For instance, if there were any confusion, our commerce sectretary in April and then our commerce minister never signed a declaration of trade ties 'that will be irreversible and sustainable'.
Secondly, read the Pak-India declaration on ministry of commerce's website to clear all confusions.
Give India MFN status.. Enhance trade, medicines should be at the top of the list..
@Ghaznavi: and@Ashok you are egoists and dont care for the poor in your countries. This is a small positive step towards cordial relations and ultimately living like friends so that we can reduce the huge expenditure on defense which we can ill afford.Dream big "Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain ".We humans have a wide range of emotions why restrict your self to HATE.
Indians have to many grudges and resentment against Pakistan. There is a lot of bitterness against Muslims in India. Why bother. I think it is just a PR exercise by India to the world to pretend that they are tolerant and open-minded when it comes to Pakistan. Their biggest fear is of China.
I couldn't understand yet what kind of enemy is India, to us? Our artists take it pride to work in their films. We see all "enemy's " tv channels and exhibit their films in our cinema halls . we play cricket , and hokey with them.Our Chief Executives waving aside security reach in the "enemy" country to quench the thirst of seeing matches We send them onions they send back paan and i don't know may be something we don't have or grow here .Some times two revolving planets come so close in love, to each other that we start praying to our gods and God for our sins.Their PM wishes for our prosperity, we wish them a happy DIWALI , We send greetings to each other both on top and bottom levels at occasions, without that days don't seem to be celebrated joyously, and religiously,and yet we are enemies.When something bad happens to our people,say players, tears roll down their faces. had there been no boundary they would have run to live with us till the mourning period is over .Can anyone tell me a very bad definition of an "enemy" , if there is.? .
The FO only denies all day.
@slashdot: That's the truth. I'm blunt with a low tolerance for illogical arguments and admittedly have a bad habit of biting and insensitive sarcasm. But, if I woke up tomorrow to not see foolish conspiracy claims, anti-american generalizations and especially that annoying view of how people being Muslim somehow factors in to the real issue. I'd probably forget it ever happened.
Pakistan is the alcoholic friend that everyone is trying to help kick the habit. Until you admit that you have a problem you can never be helped.
Pakistan, the entire world community is edging you on along. Your imaginary enemies are only really your friends.
@ Ghaznavi - brother I think it is we who are obsessed. India should have been given MFN in 1996. We are so arrogant in thinking we are better when we have the same struggles if not worse than India.
@Ghaznavi:
You must have convoluted sense of happiness than ROW.
Economically depressed, floods, earth quakes, living on foreign aid, IMF loan which Pakistan can never pay back, drone attacks, terrorism, bombs going of in cities and markets translates happiness.
India obsessed with Pakistan, you must be joking, right? Pakistan is the one obsessed with India and spends largest pecentage of its GDP for defense.
India's growth rate is 8.5% to 10% vs. Pakistans 2.2.% and mountain of debt. Why would Indian's be obsessed with Pakistan/
India practice Gestapo-like methods with Pakistani visitors, everyday registration at police station like criminals on probation. As long as such biased and hatred attitude is not changed towards Pakistani civilians, I would not suggest anyone to travel to India.
to all my indian friends, it's your govt official who's feeding this news of backtracking not pakistani officials, you should ask your media and govt for proof before trolling here. to all my pakistani brothers, let them be fed by their sansani khaiz media which clearly shows their mentality :)))
to please religious fanatics like --> @Ghaznavi: its more than that, loll,
Banarasi Paan and Mumbai Gutka for karachi pariwarthans....
who cares ?
@ Ashok
We have nothing to loose either; - you indians are totally obsessed by Pakistan - you and your like continue to troll here is a case in point. We are living very happily without trade with India. Till then, keep trolling and poison spewing..
Deny Deny Deny.....we deny that there is a country like India
Vienna,November 4,2011 As it is India exports three times more than what is officially acknowledged to Pakistan from Gujarat,Rajasthan and Punjab by smuggling. So some opposition from the Pakistani vested interest "business" side to the Most Favoured Nation status is understandable because accountability makes all the difference for the free wheelers´ access to the riches. Let us wait and see if Pakistan´s semi educated middle class with free access to websites let MFN status to become a reality as they hold among all the greatest "stake". The realist and rational business relations should help millions of Pakistani women and children.I do hope they become beneficiaries. Taravadu Taranga Trust for Media Monitoring TTTMM India --Kulamarva Balakrishna
Really now!
For 14 years, Pakistan denied India the MFN status, inspite of India having given to to Pakistan. Now, Pakistan wants to play the same game as it has done with Terror - Talk one thing and do another?
Who will be hurt with such games by Pakistan? India? It didn't seem to matter for past 14yrs, so why it would matter now?
“Pakistan clearly stated that our cabinet gave approval to move forward on MFN status in principle,”
So from awarding MFN status, now it is above "moving forward on MFN status"! WHat is there to move forward to? You either give MFN status or do not give. Why not make up mind and communicate clearly then creating more confusion?
In any case some one need to tell Pak Govt. that they need to do some "sales pitch" or "educating people" - if there is resistance, that this status would help Pakistan and average Pakistani much more then any other thing! This step means cheaper machines for Industry, cheaper diesel for farmers, cheaper lentils/kitchenware/beauty products to women and more tax to Govt due to reduced smugling!
Pakistan is only 1% of Indian export market, so it can wait and wait. But should Pakistani people not benefit sooner?
Pakistan should grant India MFN status. Trade ,commerce , investments and more people to people contacts is the way forward
Don't worry, take another 16 years, we have nothing to lose.