India Needs to Eliminate Non-Tariff Barriers.

LAHORE: India would have to dismantle all Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) to Pakistan’s satisfaction to get the status of the Most Favoured Nation (MFN), the Federal Secretary of Commerce Zafar Mehmood said.

“We have pleaded to our Indian counterparts to dismantle all NTBs first, so that both the sides have a level playing field to do business with each other,” Mehmood said at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He made it clear to the businessmen that MFN does not mean any sort of Preferential Arrangement rather it creates an environment favourable for the trading partners so that they could be able to do business.

Being a signatory of WTO, Pakistan is required to give same treatment to all WTO members - including India, Mehmood said.

Talking about the Negative List, the Federal Secretary said that the government was ready to put more items on this list, provided they are forwarded to the Ministry with a proper reasoning or logic for being on the Negative List.

The Negative List with India is refreshed on yearly basis in June, the Secretary said.

He said that Indian goods would not be allowed to reach Afghanistan even after granting MFN status to India. He said that all decisions would be made keeping in view the national interests and for the purpose the Ministry had already initiated consultation process with all the Chambers and trade bodies.

Mehmood said that trade between Pakistan and India is not normal as World Bank and other such global institutions have estimated that goods worth one billion to five billion dollars are being imported by Pakistan from India through third country.

The Federal Secretary informed the business community that Pakistan would get GSP Plus status from the European Union on January 1, 2014 as India has withdrawn its opposition or objections. He said that GSP Plus status would give considerable boost to Pakistan’s exports to European Union.

The LCCI President Irfan Qaiser Sheikh said that the businesses do not favour any agreement at the cost of industry, which is currently making all out efforts to survive in the presence of acute energy crisis, rising inflation, widespread corruption and deteriorating law and order situation.

He made it clear to the visiting Federal Secretary that a hurried decision on MFN status to India will deal a fatal blow to the pharmaceutical, automobile, motorcycle, petrochemical, auto parts, sugar, textiles, cooking oil and ghee industries.

Source : thenews.com.pk