ISLAMABAD, May 7: Technical experts of Pakistan and Malaysia on Monday started negotiations for striking a deal on the remaining parts of the proposed free trade agreement (FTA).
An official said during the three days meetings the technical experts of the two countries will discuss three chapters of the FTA — goods, investment and services — for reaching an understanding.
According to the official, in the first day of the sub-committees on agriculture, industrial goods, investment and services, rules of origin, coverage of areas and proposed preferences were discussed at length.
The official said Malaysians, it seems, were not in a hurry to finalise the agreement in this round, as they wanted threadbare discussion on each and every sector before going for any signing.
On the other hand, Pakistan is in a hurry to conclude the agreement in this round to make it ready for signature in the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who is expected to visit Malaysia in the later part of the current month.
Malaysian main demand under the treaty is reduction in duty on palm-oil to which Pakistan seems reluctant.
On the other hand, Malaysian authorities have linked market access for Pakistani textile products with reduction in import duty on palm oil.
