KARACHI: Commerce Minister Fazlur Rahman on Monday [Jan 16] charged India of throttling inter-Dominion trade by introducing “political caprices and extra-commercial whims” in trade matters. Trade would again begin to flow freely if India recognised the value of Pakistan rupee, he said. Mr Fazlur Rahman was speaking in the Pakistan Parliament … on Mr K C. Neogy’s statement in the Indian Parliament. Mr Neogy had alleged that Pakistan was not “serious about implementing the inter-Dominion trade agreement”. …

…Mr Fazlur Rahman refuted … charges made by the Indian Commerce Minister, showing that India had persistently tried to choke inter-Dominion trade while Pakistan “is and always has been” most anxious to give and take commodities. To the charge that Pakistan had taken measures to restrict import of cotton textiles from India, [he] said: “The opposite is the case.”

Before June 1949 India … had imposed “stringent conditions” on the export of mill-made cloth. During the negotiations of the current trade agreement they had asked for “nothing” better than an opportunity to sell on “competitive basis”, which Pakistan never denied them.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2025

Opinion

Editorial

Trump’s folly
Updated 13 Feb, 2025

Trump’s folly

This latest pronouncement only reinforces the fears of those who see the plan as a blueprint for ethnic cleansing.
Corruption ranking
13 Feb, 2025

Corruption ranking

IT comes as little surprise. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2024, unveiled on...
Support from remittances
13 Feb, 2025

Support from remittances

EVEN though workers’ remittances dipped, albeit negligibly, in January on a month-over-month basis, the earnings...
Ill omens
Updated 12 Feb, 2025

Ill omens

One wonders whether institutional leadership realises the long-term ramifications of the ongoing "remaking" of judiciary.
Sunken dreams
12 Feb, 2025

Sunken dreams

ANOTHER tragedy has struck Pakistani migrants seeking a better future. A boat capsizing off the Libyan coast has ...
Hate in India
12 Feb, 2025

Hate in India

HISTORY shows that rulers use hate speech to provoke hate crimes and ‘othering’ among communities. Indian Prime...