Former Pak diplomat opposes MFN status to India

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Lahore, Apr 19 (UNI) A former top Pakistani diplomat has said his country showed reluctance in granting the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) status to New Delhi on the grounds that India had a highly restrictive taxation regime.

"Trade between the two countries has reached one billion dollars in three years, and it has a potential to touch five billion dollars per year, said Aziz Ahmad Khan, who served as Pakistan's high commissioner to India from 2003-2006.

The Dawn newspaper quoted him as saying in Lahore that Islamabad was prepared to confer the MFN status on India if it had offered Pakistan a liberal taxation regime.

Pakistan, he said, earnestly wanted the promotion of economic and trade co-operation with India because it had the potential to change the destiny of the people of South Asia.

He said Indians were following a rigid approach at the ongoing composite dialogue regarding all the eight spheres of negotiated settlements of outstanding issues which has led to a deadlock.

Speaking on Indo-Pak relations at a function sponsored by the Pakistan National Forum yesterday, Mr Khan said had the Indian side shown flexibility, disputes pertaining to Siachen, Sir Creek, Wuller Barrage and Tulbul Navigation Project would have been settled.

He however said that there was no reason to be disappointed over the deadlock because talks were still on despite the sensitive nature of the relationship between the two states and the progress made in the last three years could not be called meaningless.

Mr Khan said dialogue regarding people-to-people contacts have progressed most because the civil society in both countries grabbed the opportunity to come closer.

He added that the track II diplomacy, which involved political and influential people from both sides worked wonders as the number of people visiting India and Pakistan was huge.

This shows people in the two countries want peace, improvement in trade and cultural ties and normalisation of relations so that they can meet each other and benefit from the other's experiences, he added.

UNI

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