Pakistan should grant MFN status to India: FPCCI President

India granted Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan in 1996, but Pakistan is yet to reciprocate.


Web Desk November 15, 2013
President SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Senior Executive Committee member of FICCI Vikramjit Singh Sahney (L) welcomes FPCCI President Zubair Ahmed Malik. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DEHLI: Pakistan should grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India, said Federation of Pakistani Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Zubair Ahmed Malik at a trade event, Zee News reported on Friday.

Malik is in India as the head of a Pakistani business delegation participating in the India International Trade Fair. While attending an event organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), he emphasised the need for the two countries to ease visa restrictions.

"MFN status must be given to India. This is what I am urging our government. We want to see trade flourish between the two countries and it will only flourish if there is free movement of people and if the visa regime is eased by both governments," Malik was quoted as saying.

India had already granted Pakistan MFN status in 1996 but Pakistan is yet to reciprocate the measure even though according to World Trade Organisation (WTO) norms, member countries are required to provide this status on a reciprocal basis.

Additionally, the Pakistani government has missed the December 31, 2012 deadline for phasing out its negative list regime for trade and to grant MFN status to India.

The deadline was missed as some business sectors in Pakistan raised concerns about awarding MFN status to India, Naeem Anwar, Minister (Trade) was quoted as saying by Zee News.

However, Anwar too stated that the elimination of the negative list regime would help improve economic ties between the two countries.

"If Pakistan grants non-discriminatory access to India, India will provide a reciprocal market access to Pakistan at a 0-5% duty rate, similar to what is being given to Bangladesh," India’s Joint Secretary in the Commerce Ministry Arvind Mehta said at the FCCI event, reported IANS.

Pakistan is losing out to Bangladesh by delaying granting non-discriminatory access to India, Mehta pointed out.

COMMENTS (56)

Maula Jatt | 10 years ago | Reply

@Rakib: You are talking about a completely different century. I am talking about the burning, rape, and genocide inflicted on Dehli, Agra, Lucknow, and other cities by the British, with full Hindu support and backing, which transformed Central India from a Muslim majority region to a Hindu majority region.

Rakib | 10 years ago | Reply

@Maula Jatt: (This was before Hindus and British destroyed that city massacring its entire Muslim population leading to the founding of ‘New Delhi’ by Hindus. )

Construction of New Delhi by Edwin Lyutens though begun in 1911 was halted due to First World War & it was finally inaugurated only in 1931. Aligarh college near Agra was established by Sir Syed in 1875 & many Muslim graduates & learned men were in Delhi by 1911/31. Allama Iqbal had returned in 1908 from England & apart from teaching philosophy & English practiced law at Lahore. Muslim League was established in 1906 & by 1911-31 was very active in Delhi. MA Jinnah, practicing law in Bombay since 1900 got in to active politics since 1905 with Congress & by 1911 had a position of preeminence since Gandhi was still in South Africa & young Nehru had just returned from England. And all these Muslim worthies simply kept quiet when Hindus & British got together & massacred Muslims in the area called New Delhi! Or....are you talking of the 58-days massacre of Muslims of Shahjahanabad/Delhi by Persian Nadir Shah, who took away Koh-i-Noor too, in AD 1739?

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