No plan to discuss bilateral trade issues: Pak. Minister

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, AUG. 21. Pakistan's Commerce Minister, Mr. Abdur Razak Dawood, who is leaving for New Delhi tomorrow to take part in the SAARC Commerce Ministers meeting has said that he has no programme for a one-to-one meeting with his Indian counterpart, Mr. Murasoli Maran, to discuss trade-related issues between the two countries.

Mr. Dawood will be in Delhi to take part in the SAARC Commerce Ministers meeting to discuss a possible common strategy at the coming WTO meeting scheduled in Doha in November.

In an informal talk with correspondents here, Mr. Dawood said his programme in New Delhi would be confined to the SAARC Commerce Ministers meeting.

Mr. Dawood was one of the Ministers who was supposed to accompany the Pakistan President, Gen. Pervez Musharrf, for the Agra summit but in the last minute, Islamabad decided to drop him from the delegation. The Pakistan establishment was of the view that inclusion of the Commerce Minister would have deflected from the ``Kashmir-centric agenda''. There is consensus in Pakistan and India that there is tremendous scope for trade cooperation between the two countries and the business community in both the countries has been urging their Governments to move for closer cooperation in trade and commerce.

However, the military establishment in Pakistan is not in favour of normalisation of trade relations with India without beginning a serious process for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Gen. Musharraf articulated this viewpoint at Agra summit in so many words.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Next     : Sindh ban on jehad funds evokes protest