3 Min Read
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan’s cabinet on Thursday put off allowing imports of cotton and sugar from neighbouring India until Delhi reviews its 2019 move to revoke the Kashmir region’s special status, the foreign minister said.
Slideshow ( 2 images )
In an effort to cool local demand and prices, Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the country’s top economic decision-making body, gave the go-ahead on Wednesday for the imports, which would have ended nearly two years of trade suspension between the nuclear-armed rivals.
“It was a consensus opinion, including the prime minister, that as long as India doesn’t review the Aug. 5, 2019, unilateral steps it took, it wouldn’t be possible to normalise relations with India,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said of the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, which had to endorse the ECC’s decision for trade to start.
Flip flop! Pakistan makes U-turn on cotton, sugar imports from India over Article 370
Restoration of special status for the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir has been a key issue for Islamabad vis a vis import of sugar and cotton.
Share
Updated: Apr 1, 2021, 09:40 PM IST
In a dramatic U-turn, the Pakistani cabinet has deferred the import of sugar and cotton from India. The Pakistani flip flop comes, even as on Wednesday, Pakistan s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet had given approval for import of white sugar from India up to 500,000 MT till 30th June and import of cotton till the same deadline.
Islamabad: Pakistan’s cabinet on Thursday put on hold a decision made by the country’s top economic decision-making body to allow imports of cotton and sugar from neighbouring India until Delhi reviews its 2019 move to revoke the Kashmir region’s special status, the foreign minister said.
In an effort to cool local demand and prices, Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for the imports, which was to have ended nearly two years of trade suspension between the nuclear-armed rivals.
“It was a consensus opinion, including the prime minister, that as long as India doesn’t review the Aug. 5, 2019, unilateral steps it took, it wouldn’t be possible to normalise relations with India,” Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said of the cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, which had to endorse the ECC’s decision for trade to start.
4/1/2021
By Asif Shahzad and Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam
ISLAMABAD, April 1 (Reuters) - Pakistan s cabinet on
Thursday put off allowing imports of cotton and sugar from
neighbouring India until Delhi reviews its 2019 move to revoke
the Kashmir region s special status, the foreign minister said.
In an effort to cool local demand and prices, Pakistan s
Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the country s top
economic decision-making body, gave the go-ahead on Wednesday
for the imports, which would have ended nearly two years of
trade suspension between the nuclear-armed rivals. It was a consensus opinion, including the prime minister,
that as long as India doesn t review the Aug. 5, 2019,
Pakistan defers trade with India until Delhi reviews Kashmir s status, says foreign minister gulftoday.ae - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gulftoday.ae Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.