Indo-Pak Commerce Secy-level talks begin

The India-Pakistan Commerce Secretary-level talks began here today, with the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) issue among the main agenda items of the parleys that seek to normalise bilateral trade relations.

Pakistan's Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood, accompanied by a team of officials, will hold discussions with his Indian counterpart Rahul Khullar for the next two days to resolve some of the contentious trade issues. These include India seeking clarity on Pakistan's Cabinet decision to grant it MFN status and Pakistan seeking liberalisation of visa regime for businessmen. Islamabad, which will have to treat India at par with other economic partners after grant of MFN status, has been complaining about the non-trade barriers for its shipments to the Indian market.
Before leaving for New Delhi on Saturday, Mahmood had said in Islamabad, "...Hopefully, you will hear good news after two days". He had also indicated a "major breakthrough" in the talks. On arrival here, he had stated that Pakistan was not backtracking on the MFN decision.
Mahmood had said that Pakistan stood committed to normalising its trade relations with India and MFN is part of the exercise. India-Pakistan trade is at a paltry USD 2.65 billion even as the third country trade (round tripping) is estimated at USD 10 billion. The two neighbouring countries have intensified their efforts to improve their trade and political relations in the recent past.