Senate body asks ministries of Foreign Affairs, Commerce to brief over granting India MFN status

Senate body asks ministries of Foreign Affairs, Commerce to brief over granting India MFN status

Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday sought complete details from ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce
over granting Most Favored Nation (MFN) Status to India. The body stated that the country has abruptly changed its 64-year old stance without taking parliament into confidence.

The committee asked the government why the federal cabinet had approved the bill when majority of people across the country don’t like granting MFN status to India, the neighboring country.

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Manzoor Watto, briefing the committee, made it clear that the decision to give India MFN status was taken on purely economic reasons, elucidating it could not disturb the Kashmir cause.

Watto said that the government did not officially declare India as MFN. He, however, stated that the cabinet had approved the decision on the recommendations forwarded by the Ministry of Commerce. He reiterated that the decision
will not affect Pakistan stance on Kashmir dispute.

In his view, both the couturiers had been declared MFN by each other in the past, saying that it was not a new experiment. Trade is only reason behind the decision that will give economy a boost in Pakistan.

The minister stated that Pakistan and India are two neighbors and cannot ignore each other in modern world of trade and commerce. The two countries should focus on development
of its people instead of fighting, he added. 

Watto said that the government has approved Rs. 40 billion compensation for Mangla Dam affected persons and the money will be distributed in a period of three years. A total of Rs 18 billion would be distributed in three different
phases. 

He said that there is a capacity of producing 20 thousands megawatt electricity in AJK while in Gilgit Baltistan it is 40 thousands. The government was working to launch new hydro electricity projects in these areas. 

To a question, the minister said that all affairs in AJK were being done according to the 1974 Constitution of AJK. Some powers were given to the AJK government while a few to the AJK council. PM Gilani is present chairman
of AJK council while President AJK is a vice chairman.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Dec 23 2011. Filed under Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry