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Summary Pakistan government announced that it will normalize trade with its giant rival and neighbour India.
The decision by Pakistan to boost trade ties with India is a sign of better ties between two nuclear-armed nations whose tense relations have long poisoned South Asia.The decision to grant India Most Favored Nation status would enable Pakistanis to export more goods to booming India at a time when Pakistans own economy is in the doldrums. Some Pakistani business quarters welcomed the decision, but others expressed concerns about cheaper Indian goods flooding the market.The World Bank estimates that annual trade between India and Pakistan is around $1 billion and could grow to as much as $9 billion if barriers are lifted. Much of the current trade is illicit products go through Dubai, where they are repackaged and are smuggled into both countries, meaning higher prices and less tax revenue.Pakistani Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan did not say when the new rules would take affect, but said that the countrys powerful military which dictates policy on India agreed with the decision.India gave Pakistan MFN status in 1996 and has been waiting since then for it to be reciprocated.We deeply appreciate this positive gesture that Pakistan has taken, Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma told reporters in New Delhi. It will be beneficial for both the countries. It opens up new pathways of elevating our economic engagement to a much higher level.He said he believed the decision would help improve ties between the two nations. We need to sustain this in the coming months.
