Pak-India Trade: Commerce ministry clarifies report

With reference to the news item titled ‘Pakistan, India inch toward trade liberalisation’, published in The Express Tribune on February 7, 2015, the Ministry of Commerce has clarified that Pakistan and India have not held any trade negotiations since March 2014 when an understanding was approached on the future trade mechanism based upon the agreement reached in 2012. “Currently, there are no formal trade negotiations in progress between Pakistan and India at any level of government hence the question of trade liberalisation does not arise,” the commerce ministry said in a statement issued on Saturday. It added that Minister for Commerce Khurram Dastgir did not make any contrary claims, both in his speech before the Senate and in his written reply to the questions posed by senators.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th, 2015.