ISLAMABAD, July 24: The Pakistan Muslim League (Q) on Thursday rejected the Trade Policy-2008-09 and announced that the opposition would take the business community into confidence to launch a countrywide strike as the policy was covertly aimed at granting India the status of a ‘most favoured nation’.

“This trade policy is ‘India-centric’ and a bid to appease the Indian government, while the PML thinks that all trade routes to India pass through Kashmir.”

Talking to reporters at the Parliament House here, party MNAs Sheikh Waqas Akram and Marvi Memon said that the PML would not allow ‘loot sale’ of its natural resources to Indian businessmen and all such bids would be resisted with the support of Pakistani business community.

The PML leaders claimed that the government had already awarded the contract of Thar coal project to India’s Reliance Group.

Sheikh Akram said: “a conference will be held in America regarding Thar coal project during prime minister’s visit while it has already been decided in Dubai to award this project to the Indian company”.

The commerce minister has announced a policy which only encouraged imports from India while exports to that country have been ignored totally, the PML leaders said.

No country allows its adversary an open access to its natural resources, they said, adding India is active in efforts to destabilise Pakistan through its 13 consulates in Afghanistan.

He alleged that the government had unleashed a reign of ‘terror’ against its own people by raising prices of petroleum products and other commodities.

“The government of so-called well-wishers of the poor has raised petroleum prices from Rs57 per litre to Rs87 despite fall in oil prices in the international market from $147.5 per barrel to $125 per barrel,” Sheikh Akram said.

He demanded an urgent session of parliament so that all such issues could be debated. He called the new set-up “ineffective, dysfunctional and semi-exiled” government.

Marvi Memon termed the trade policy ridiculous, saying that this would turn Pakistan into a “dumping ground” for Indian commodities.

She regretted that the policy should have economic targets, such as economic prosperity, employment, exports, better market access, and product diversification.

“We demand that the government should immediately stop the ‘violence of inflation’ against the nation as poorest of the poor are compelled to commit suicide,” the PML leaders said.