Have no official info, will take matter to world forums': Imran Khan's adviser on India's MFN move

Islamabad, Feb 17: India has not informed Pakistan that it was withdrawing the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to it, a senior Pakistani official said Sunday, after New Delhi took strong economic action against Islamabad following the Pulwama terror attack.

Speaking to GEO News, Adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said, "We are looking into the withdrawal of the MFN status by India. We can speak to India about this issue".

Dawood added that Pakistan can raise the issue at various forums, including the World Trade Organisation as both countries are members of the global trade body.

Two days ago, Dawood had told news agency PTI that they won't make any "emotional decision" and will respond to the move after due deliberation. "India has removed us from the list of MFN nations but we will not make any emotional decision and will issue a response after making due thinking," he had said.

India on Friday announced the withdrawal of the MFN status for Pakistan, following the deadly terror attack on CRPF personnel in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, and hiked the customs duty by 200 per cent on goods originating from Pakistan with immediate effect on Saturday.

On Saturday, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had hiked the customs duty by 200 per cent on goods originating from Pakistan with immediate effect. Prior to that, the Centre also withdrew the MFN status, a treatment accorded to a trade partner to ensure non-discriminatory trade between two countries vis-a-vis other trade partners.

Under the MFN pact, a WTO member country is obliged to treat the other trading nation in a non-discriminatory manner, especially with regard to customs duty and other levies.

India's decision would significantly hit Pakistan's exports to India, which stood at USD 488.5 million (around Rs 3,482.3 crore) in 2017-18 as it would drastically increase the prices of its goods.