KARACHI: An agreement on the exchange of essential commodities between India and Pakistan was signed after a six-hour further discussion at 3-30 p.m. on Friday [June 24], when the Inter-Dominion conference on commodities agreement concluded after a four-day strenuous session in Karachi. The agreement is subject to ratification by the two Governments.

“Both the delegations agreed that each country should use its best endeavours to supply the requirements of the other country and that the agreement should be concluded from a realistic point of view so as to achieve a balance of trade as nearly as possible,” says a Press communique issued by the Ministry of Commerce… . The agreement … provided for the export of steel, coal, cotton and jute textiles, chemicals, mustard oil, groundnut oil, vanaspati, sea salt etc from India to Pakistan; and jute, cotton, rock salt, hides and skins etc from Pakistan to India. The two delegations, it was learnt, have also reached an agreement for the provision of machinery to assure regular two-way flow of commodities between the Dominions to avoid an unbalanced trade.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2024