ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: The government’s economic team has apparently failed to lobby effectively with opposing countries to persuade them to support a European Union waiver from the World Trade Organisation for duty-free import of textile items from Pakistan.

A source in the commerce ministry told Dawn that Pakistan’s trade mission in Geneva did not come up with detailed replies that were raised time and again by WTO member countries, especially India, to make them agree to withdraw their opposition to European trade package for Pakistan.

Brussels offered a one-time duty-free treatment on 75 products after last year’s floods in Pakistan and the package was scheduled to come into effect in January this year.

The source said India had come up with its objections on the package and sought consultation with EU officials over the issue in October last year, but no official from the Pakistan trade mission in Geneva tried to respond to New Delhi’s queries.

The minutes of the meetings of the Council for Trade in Goods at WTO, which are available with Dawn, also showed that the Pakistani mission did not try to explain the need and importance of the EU trade package for Pakistan’s economy in the aftermath of devastating floods.

A source in the Foreign Office said that India did not raise objections during the last meeting but its earlier comments did provide an excuse to the countries like Bangladesh, Peru and Brazil to oppose the package for Pakistan.

Pakistan’s mission in Geneva also failed to muster support from member countries for appointment of Pakistan’s former trade envoy Manzoor Ahmad to WTO appellate body.

Pakistan lost the opportunity and India’s former trade envoy Ujal Singh Bhatia was elected to the post for an initial term of four years which can be extended once.

Not deterred by these failures, the officers posted in the Geneva trade mission have now started approaching the government for seeking extension in their stay in Switzerland despite the fact that all talks on multilateral trade liberalisation have been put on hold for the past few years.

The source in the commerce ministry said that Pakistan’s ambassador to WTO Shahid Bashir had recently visited Islamabad to muster support to get his stay in Geneva extended. His tenure at WTO will expire by the end of the year.

“The commerce ministry has neither issued a relieving order for the current trade envoy nor moved a summary for appointment of a new envoy,” the source added.

According to experts, since Doha development agenda of the WTO has been stalled with no prospects of moving forward, there is no need for Pakistan to have a big trade mission in Geneva.

On the contrary, other member countries, including India, have strengthened their domestic offices for doing research on trade issues and give feedback to their missions in Geneva.