Prime Minister Imran Khan decided that Pakistan cannot go ahead with any trade with India under the current circumstances after holding consultations with key members of his cabinet on importing cotton and sugar from the neighboring country, a press report said on Saturday.
The prime minister, after consultations on Friday, instructed the Ministry of Commerce and its economic team to take immediate steps to facilitate the relevant sectors, value added, clothing and sugar, by seeking cheap alternative sources of imports of basic products. necessary, he quoted the Dawn newspaper as saying.
Several proposals have been submitted to the Economic Coordination Committee (CCE) which considers these suggestions from an economic and commercial point of view. Upon consideration by the ECC, its decisions are presented to Cabinet for ratification and final approval, according to the report.
In the present case, a proposal was submitted to the ECC to allow the importation of cotton, cotton yarn and sugar from India taking into account internal requirements, it said.
Regarding the ECC’s decision to allow the importation of sugar, cotton and cotton yarn from India, Khan held consultations with key members of his cabinet on Friday and decided that Pakistan could not go ahead with any trade with India in the current circumstances, he said. .
The ECC had decided for commercial reasons to recommend these imports for Cabinet consideration.
While the decision was not on the formal cabinet meeting agenda, cabinet members raised the issue and the prime minister ordered that the ECC’s decision be postponed and immediately reviewed, according to the report.
The cabinet led by Prime Minister Khan on Thursday rejected the high-power committee’s proposal to import cotton from India, and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said there can be no normalization of ties until New Delhi revoke its decision in 2019 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan’s U-turn on Thursday came a day after the ECC, under newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar, recommended importing cotton and sugar from India, lifting a nearly two-year ban on their import from the neighboring country. amid tensions over the Kashmir Problem.
India has said that it wishes normal neighborly relations with Pakistan in an environment free from terror, hostility and violence. India has said that Pakistan has a responsibility to create an environment free from terror and hostility.
India has also told Pakistan that “talk and terror” cannot go hand in hand and has called on Islamabad to take demonstrable action against the terrorist groups responsible for launching various attacks against India.
The ECC’s decision had raised hopes for a partial revival of bilateral trade relations between Pakistan and India, which were suspended after New Delhi’s decision on August 5, 2019, to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
In May 2020, Pakistan lifted the ban on the import of medicines and essential drug raw materials from India amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
India’s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic relations and expelled the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad. Pakistan also broke all air and land links with India and suspended commercial and rail services.
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