Commerce ministry to submit case to Cabinet for complete normalisation of trade relations. ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID.
Islamabad has held New Delhi responsible for the delay in the process of granting Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India.
New Delhi is reluctant to remove non-tariff bearers (NTBs), and consequently the non availability of a level playing field to Pakistani exporters has delayed the granting of MFN status to India, said Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim in a written reply during a question hour session of the upper house of Parliament on Wednesday.
The commerce ministry was unable to meet the deadline of December 31, 2012, of granting the MFN status, as it was consulting other ministries and private sector stakeholders to assess and evaluate the level playing field enjoyed by Pakistani exports to India, and to resolve issues of non-tariff barriers being faced by Pakistani exporters and market access of Pakistani products to India.
The ministry will now submit the case to the Cabinet for complete normalisation of trade relations with India in due course, the written reply read. The decision to grant MFN status to India was taken by the Cabinet in its meeting held on November 2, 2011.
Meanwhile, State Minster for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Hammad said that due to Indian rigidity, the Sir Creek border issue has not been resolved either.
He also revealed that talks over the issue have not been held during the last five years.
Responding to a related question, the minister said that they do not have any reports on exploratory activities being carried out by India in the disputed area. The area is under regular surveillance by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and Pakistan Navy, he said.
Citing the sensitivity of the issue, Senate Chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari referred the question to relevant authorities for a comprehensive reply.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 7th, 2013.
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It seems that India is blamed for everything that happens in Pakistan. Tomorrow if someone has a cold in Pakistan it will be because of cold winds from India. Get over this infatuation
With the next government,all MFN/etc concessions to pak shd be revoked and any company trading/etc with pak shd be prohibited from trading in india. Let Nestle,coke,etc choose between india and pakistan for their own future
@Indian Wisdom:
we do need access to their market.there are lot many things India stands to benefit from Pakistani market,but, the Pakistani market isn't offering much now,nor i see anything changing anytime soon.
seriously, the only thing that Pakistanis are good at or can export to India is their textiles. There is also talk about other items,but won't make much of an impact,neither will there textile companies or the designer clothes. So,why so much hue and cry over MFN..this MFN will only be beneficial to India in any case.
That barrier is not Pakistan specific. As a result, WTO too has not come down on India for it.
Pakistan cannot get an exception. If it wants to access the 1/6th of Humanity as a market, it has to recognize its own limitations.
Who needs your MFN status, as if we care...........