Underlining the importance of normalisation of trade with India, Pakistan on Thursday said more decisions will be taken in "coming weeks and months" to improve trade ties but did not say when it will grant the much delayed Most Favoured National (MFN) status. ...
05:59 PM, Mar 28, 2013
Observing that Pakistanis are very much in favor of enhanced economic relationship with India, a top American diplomat stationed in Islamabad has said the country is on the cusp of granting the most favored nation status to its eastern neighbour. "I think that there's been progress in the relationship between Pakistan and India, and as you know, we're on the cusp of Pakistan granting most favored nation status to India....
12:27 PM, Mar 26, 2013
Pakistan on Thursday said it cannot grant Most Favoured Nation-status to India before the reservations of all stakeholders are removed while pointing out that it was a "work in progress" and that a final decision is yet to be taken. ...
08:52 PM, Jan 24, 2013
India expects Pakistan to announce elimination of negative list of items later this month that will pave the way for full normalisation of bilateral trade and accordance of MFN status to New Delhi. Pakistan has missed the deadline of December 31, 2012, for phasing out the negative list regime. ...
09:57 PM, Jan 10, 2013
Against the backdrop of a missed deadline for normalising trade relations with India, Pakistan on Friday said the federal cabinet had reiterated its resolve to grant Most Favoured Nation-status to the neighbouring nation. ...
06:33 PM, Jan 04, 2013
Amidst speculation that Pakistan will be unable to meet a January 1 deadline for giving the MFN status to India, the government on Thursday said it is working to complete the trade liberalisation process "as soon as possible". ...
03:26 AM, Dec 28, 2012
The Defa-e-Pakistan Council formed by JuD chief Hafiz Saeed on Sunday launched a "movement" to oppose the move to grant Most Favoured Nation-status to India. ...
11:41 PM, Dec 16, 2012
The US has welcomed Pakistan's decision to extend the most-favoured nation status to India and commended its recent moves to expand its economic co-operation with neighbours. ...
04:06 AM, Dec 02, 2012
Islamabad: Pakistan is moving towards granting Most Favoured Nation-status to India "despite some hurdles" as the two countries have made significant progress in trade cooperation, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Wednesday. Zardari referred to the importance of regional trade while addressing a dinner hosted by him at the presidency to mark the 50th anniversary of Pakistan-EU relations and said his government had designated 2012 as the "Year of Regional...
11:59 PM, May 09, 2012
Islamabad: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday said that granting Most Favoured Nation-status to India was a "paradigmatic shift in policy driven by the business sectors on both sides of the border". Zardari made the remarks at a dinner hosted by the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the presidency in Islamabad. "The decision would reconstruct the region's economies and increase its stability," he said. The dinner was...
07:49 AM, May 03, 2012
Islamabad: The Pakistan government on Wednesday issued a notification for switching over to a negative list regime for trade with India, under which the import of only 1,209 Indian products will be barred. The Commerce Ministry issued the Statutory Regulatory Order for trade with India under the negative list regime, officials said. According to the notification, a total of 1,209 items have been included in the negative list and will...
08:59 PM, Mar 21, 2012
Karachi: Pakistan on Tuesday deferred its decision to finalize a list of goods it does not want to import from India, an important step towards granting it the most favoured nation (MFN) status. Once the MFN status is granted, Pakistan will have to treat India on par with its other favoured trading partners. India unilaterally gave MFN status to Pakistan in 1996. Business leaders who are accompanying Commerce and Industry...
04:43 AM, Feb 15, 2012
Islamabad: Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed criticised the Pakistan government's move to grant Most Favoured Nation-status to India, claiming the neighbouring country was a bigger threat than the US. Saeed, also the founder of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba that was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, made the remarks while addressing a rally organised by the Defa-e-Pakistan Council in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Noting that India is a greater threat...
08:08 AM, Jan 23, 2012
Islamabad: Pakistan Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood has said that the government will not grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India unless a mechanism is evolved to protect domestic industry. "We are making sure that we will safeguard our industry first by consulting all stakeholders, including all chambers of commerce and other trade associations, before we grant MFN status (to India) and there is no international pressure in this regard,"...
09:02 PM, Dec 22, 2011
Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday said the process of giving India Most Favoured Nation status to boost bilateral trade is expected to be completed by October next year. Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said "October next year is the time-frame which has been given" for granting MFN status to India. He was responding to a question during the weekly news briefing on the latest status of the Pakistan government's move to...
10:06 PM, Dec 08, 2011
Lahore: The Jamaat-ud-Dawah, blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday organised a rally to protest the Pakistan government's move to give Most Favoured Nation-status to India. JuD leaders who addressed the rally accused India of being behind shortage of water that is affecting Pakistani farmers. Several farmers riding tractors participated in the rally, which wound its way from from Azadi Chowk to Nasir Bagh Chowk. Senior JuD leader Ameer...
08:48 AM, Nov 25, 2011
Islamabad: The Pakistan Army has expressed its reservations over the civilian government's move to grant Most Favoured Nation-status to India and conveyed its concern to the administration at the highest level, BBC Urdu reported on Monday. A senior official privy to the army's interaction with the government on the issue told BBC that military leaders had said the new contacts with India should be viewed in the context of the...
12:19 AM, Nov 22, 2011
Islamabad: The Jamaat-ud-Dawah, blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, has threatened to organise a sit-in protest at the Wagah land border crossing if Pakistan grants Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to India. JuD leaders, including Ameer Hamza, Hasnain Siddique and Hafiz Khalid Waleed, issued the warning while addressing a gathering at Chowburji in Lahore during a protest organised on Saturday to oppose the move to grant India MFN status. JuD...
07:31 PM, Nov 19, 2011
New Delhi: The extension to trade for four days in a week and the proposal to raise infrastructure at the trade center have given businessmen in the valley much to cheer about. LoC trade is now worth more than Rs 800 crore three years since it began. Custodian Officer, Salamabad Nazir Ahmad Baba said, "If the items are increased, the quantum of trade will increase. There are number of unemployed...
07:03 AM, Nov 19, 2011
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday said a decision is "yet to be taken" on the issue of granting Most Favoured Nation-status to India and that the cabinet had authorised the Commerce Ministry to conduct negotiations in this regard. Responding to points raised by lawmakers in the National Assembly or lower house of parliament, Gilani said the people and parliament would be taken into confidence on the...
09:24 AM, Nov 17, 2011
