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ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: Federal Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan said on Wednesday that Pakistan was ready to consider the most-favoured nation (MFN) status for India if a sustainable political dialogue process between the two countries got underway to resolve all outstanding issues.
Talking to visiting Indian Commerce Secretary Deepak Chatterji who had called on him at his office, the minister emphasized that there must be a level-playing field available to Pakistani businessmen so that an increase in trade could be of benefit to both the countries.
Official sources told Dawn that Mr Khan underlined the need for access to the information about India's trade regime to facilitate Pakistani traders in trade with India. A joint statement would be issued by the two sides after the conclusion of their meeting on Thursday, added the officials.
The minister also discussed the July package recently concluded in Geneva with the Indian commerce secretary. Pakistan and India are active members of the G-20 - a loose coalition of developing countries defending their interests in the world trade talks.
Earlier, the Indian secretary had requested the minister for according the MFN status to his country. Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Shivshankar Menon and Pakistan Commerce Secretary Tasneem Noorani were also present at the meeting.
FORMAL TALKS: Meanwhile, officials of Pakistan and India presented their views on various trade-related issues on the first day of the two-day talks on trade which began here on Wednesday.
The Indian delegation, led by its commerce secretary, suggested that politics should not be involved in the trade talks. They also proposed cooperation in communications, civil aviation, agriculture, telecommunication and banking, increased postal linkage, transit facility for Afghanistan and direct shipment from Mumbai to Karachi.
The Pakistani side, led by Commerce Secretary Tasneem Noorani, asked for access to Indian market for Pakistani products so that the current trade deficit could be narrowed. The commercial cooperation should result in a win-win position for both sides, they said.
The Pakistani side told their Indian counterparts that despite the granting of MFN status by India, Pakistan's exports to India did not register any tangible growth. The Pakistani delegation pointed out that high duty structure and non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on most items maintained by India were a hurdle in the flow of Pakistani products into their markets.
Talking to newsmen after the meeting, the Indian secretary said various issues, including the MFN status, came up for discussion. He described the talks as postive. Mr Chatterji said the date and place for the next meeting would be finalized later.
In reply to a question, he said his side had expressed its desire to import certain products from Pakistan. Mr Noorani said the issue of MFN status should be resolved in a manner beneficial to both countries.
He said the Pakistani side asked for market access for certain products so that the huge trade deficit could be bridged. In reply to another question, he said the Pakistani side also asked for the elimination of NTBs by India which created hurdles in the smooth flow of trade.
