Demands of MFN status to India unjustified
Special status to Pakistan remains counter productive
New Delhi never granted unconditional MFN status to Pakistan
Islamabad: [April 27]
The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Tuesday said demands to accord Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India are against the economic and national interests.
The local business circles demanding MFN status to India are not fully aware of the repercussions of such a move, it said.
Pakistani importers may save a billion dollars per year if India is declared MFN but it can damage local industry, increase infiltration, and trigger terrorism, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.
He said that India granted MNF status to Pakistan in 1995 but it proved to be a trick as local exports could not pick up due to the non-tariff barriers that include different clearances, inspections, certifications, specifications, labelling, marking and packaging rules etc.
In addition, India has also imposed a number of de facto trade barriers to stop Pakistani exporter from making inroads in its market, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal.
That is why India has kept a soft tone in its demand for MFN status by Islamabad as she knows that they never granted real MFN status to Pakistan.
"Political relations between the two countries are unlikely to become stable soon therefore it is not advisable to increase dependence on India," he said adding that strategic considerations also matter in the overall scenario.
He said that enhanced bilateral trade with will boost human traffic flow making it difficult to check infiltration. A strain in relations can push the two countries to ditch commitments as experienced in past.
India would only be justified in demanding special status if she removes trade barriers and provide opportunities of Pakistani exporters, he said.
Indian should also change its attitude which is compelling Pakistan to divert resources to less desirable sectors which is barring development and pushing poverty, said Dr. Mughal.
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Dr. Murtaza Mughal
Cell: 0321-5157671
President Pakistan Economy Watch
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