RAWALPINDI, Dec 10: Traders and associations of chemists in Rawalpindi have rejected the government’s decision to give the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India, arguing that it will exhaust Pakistan’s raw material.

In this regard, the representatives of the traders held a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Commerce on Saturday.

President Chemists and Druggists Association, Punjab, Zahid Bakhtawri, who is also president of Rawalpindi Traders Association, raised objection over the MFN status to India and argued that the local industry would suffer a lot as India was eyeing the raw materials of Pakistan.

“The government has taken the decision in haste and without consulting the stakeholders. We oppose MFN status to India not on the ground of biasness but for the interest of our industry,” Mr Bakhtawri said in statement issued here.

Meanwhile, the commerce ministry, according to the statement, has invited office-bearers of the chemists and druggists association of Pakistan for a separate meeting with federal minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim in a bid to take them on board on the issue.

Traders in the city, including Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), have been opposing the MFN status to India and held protest demonstrations against the government over the issue.