India declines to comment on Pakistan bilateral trade
India on Friday declined to comment on Pakistan’s turnaround on plans to opt for limited imports of sugar and cotton from the country.
“We have seen reports on this. But, of course, we are not the right party to address this question, “said Arindam Bagchi, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA).
His response came after questions on the subject at a press conference. In a sea change, Pakistan’s Cabinet on Thursday rejected a proposal by a high-powered committee to import cotton and sugar from India.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said there can be no normalization of ties until New Delhi revokes its decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The somersault came a day after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) under the newly appointed Finance Minister Hammad Azhar decided to buy the two key items from India, lifting a ban of nearly two. years on its importation from the neighboring country.
When asked if India plans to restore Most Favored Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, Bagchi said he has no information on the matter.
India withdrew MFN status from Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack in 2019.
Asked if there was any interaction between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Qureshi in Dushanbe on the sidelines of a conference, the MEA spokesman said he was not aware of such interaction with the Pakistani delegation.
Both Jaishankar and Qureshi were in the capital of Tajikistan earlier this week to attend the Heart of Asia conference. The Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process is an initiative aimed at bringing together all key stakeholders to achieve lasting peace and stability in war-torn Afghanistan.
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