Anand Sharma invited to Pakistan to sign 3 trade liberalising pacts

ISLAMABAD: Commerce minister Anand Sharma has been invited to Pakistan next month to sign three agreements removing non-tariff barriers in bilateral trade, according to a media report.

"We have extended a formal invitation to the Indian Commerce Minister through the Pakistani High Commission in India," an unnamed official was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

The official was speaking after the Special Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir was briefed yesterday on trade liberalisation with India.

Signing of the proposed agreements on customs cooperation, mutual recognition and redressing grievances is expected to remove all tariff and non-tariff barriers that hinder Pakistani exports to India, the report said.

The Indian government has been asked to get approval from relevant departments for signing these agreements during the minister's visit, Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood said during an in-camera briefing for the parliamentary panel, the report said.

The chairman of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Fazlur Rehman, had sought a briefing by the Commerce Ministry on the issue of granting India Most Favoured Nation-status.

The meeting discussed Pakistan's move to change its trade regime from a positive list to a negative list as part of the liberalisation process.

Trade of items in the negative list will not be allowed. Pakistani industry has proposed 1,000 items for the negative list, the Commerce Secretary said.

The list is expected to be finalised early next month.