Pulwama: Working on options to retaliate, Pakistan says after India withdraws MFN status

Islamabad, Feb 16: A day after India withdrew its 'Most Favoured Nation' (MFN) status to Pakistan in the wake of the horrific suicide terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday, February 14, killing more than 40 jawans, Pakistan said it was working on retaliatory options.

Razak Dawood, adviser on commerce to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, told the media on Friday, February 15, that Islamabad will weigh all available options to take counter-steps against the Indian government's withdrawal of the MFN status.

Dawood said this while speaking to the media at the office of the board of investment on the two-day visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and a high-level business delegation to Pakistan.

The visit which was supposed to kick off on Saturday, February 16, will now begin on Sunday, February 17.

The commerce adviser to PM Khan said Islamabad might undertake unilateral measures Agreement and move the World Trade Organisation in Geneva.

India withdrew the MFN status which it had given to Pakistan in 1995 though many said it was only a symbolic retaliation against the terror attack. MFN status means a country will treat all WTO member nations equally in matters of tariffs on imports.

Pak could bring more items in negative list, says commerce ministry

Sources in Pakistan's commerce ministry said the country could bring in more items in the negative list that features items that are not to be imported from India, daily Dawn reported.

"Pakistan's exports to India stood at $288.134 million in 2004-05 and reached $350m in 2016-17 in the wake of liberalisation of the trade regime with India. Indian exports to Pakistan were $547.458m in 2004-05 and shot up to $2 billion in 2016-17," the Dawn reported, saying the unilateral trade liberalisation in goods and services helped India after the resumption while Pakistan's exports stagnated.